ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT - NEPA

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT 

FOR THE PROPOSED CEMENT PLANT AND QUARRY OPERATION 

BY CEMENT JAMAICA LIMITED AT PORT ESQUIVEL 

INDUSTRIALCOMPLEX, ST CATHERINE AND 

ROSE HALL DISTRICT CLARENDON, 

JAMAICA 

December 2010 

DRAFT 

EnviroPlanners Limited 

17 Munroe Road, Kingston 6, Jamaica 

Tel: (876) 969-9153; Fax: (876) 925-3163 

Email: enviroplannersltd@yahoo.com � www.enviroplannersltd.com

EIA for Cement Plant & Limestone Quarry, St. Catherine/Clarendon – Cement Jamaica Limited, 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................. 2 

Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 2 

Project Rationale ............................................................................................................. 3 

The Project ...................................................................................................................... 4 

Applicable Policies and Legislation ................................................................................ 6 

Impact Identification ....................................................................................................... 7 

Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 15 

1.0 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 22 

1.1 Purpose ................................................................................................................... 22 

2.0 Project Description ................................................................................................................................... 25 

2.1 Location of the Proposed Development ................................................................. 26 

2.2 Overview of Cement Production .......................................................................... 29 

2.3 Manpower .............................................................................................................. 33 

2.4 Project Economics ................................................................................................. 33 

2.5 Proposed Community Development Plan ............................................................. 34 

2.6 Reasons Why a Cement Plant is Needed ............................................................... 35 

3.0 Analysis of Alternatives ........................................................................................................................... 38 

3.1 Do Nothing Alternative .......................................................................................... 38 

3.2 Project Implementation Options ............................................................................ 39 

4.0 Terms of Reference (TOR) ...................................................................................................................... 46 

5.0 Institutional and Legal Framework (Regulatory Requirements) ............................................................. 54 

5.1 IDB/IFC/World Bank Guidelines ............................................................................................... 54 

5.1.1 International Finance Corporation (IFC, World Bank Group) Environmental 

Health, and Safety Guidelines for Cement and Lime Manufacturing ................... 54 

5.1.2 Document of the Inter-American Development Bank – Cement 

Manufacturing Plants Guidelines (An Approach to Reconciling the Financing 

of Cement Manufacturing Plants with Climate Change Objectives, March 10, 2010) ........................... 55 

5.1.3 Document of the Inter-American Development Bank – Coal-Fired 

Power Plants Guidelines (An Approach to Reconciling the Financing of 

Coal-Fired Power Plants with Climate Change Objectives, July 10, 2009) ............................................ 56 

5.2 National Legislation – National Environment ............................................................................ 56 

5.2.1 National resources Conservation Authority Act (1991) ......................................... 56 

5.2.2 Environment Review and Permitting Process (1997) ............................................ 57 

5.2.3 Wildlife Protection Act (1945) ............................................................................... 57 

5.2.4 The Endangered Species (Protection, Conservation and Regulation 

of Trade) Act (2000) .............................................................................................. 58 

5.2.5 The National Resources (Prescribed Areas) Prohibition of Categories 

of Enterprise, Construction and Development) Order (1996) ................................ 58 

5.2.6 Water Resources Act (1995) .................................................................................. 58 

5.2.7 Country Fires Act (1942) ....................................................................................... 59 

5.2.8 Quarries Contract Act (1983) ................................................................................. 60 

5.2.9 The Pesticides (Amendment) Act (1996) ............................................................... 60 

5.2.10 Clean Air Act (1964) .............................................................................................. 61 

5.2.11 The Natural Resources Conservation Authority (Air Quality) 

Regulations, 2002 .................................................................................................. 61


5.2.12 Noise Standards ..................................................................................................... 63 

5.2.13 Trade Effluent and Sewage Regulations (1996) (Draft) ......................................... 63 

5.2.14 Watershed Protection Act (1963) ........................................................................... 64 

5.3 National Legislation – Social Environment ................................................................................ 64 

5.3.1 Town and Country Planning Act (1958) ................................................................ 64 

5.3.2 Land Development and utilization Act (1996) ....................................................... 65 

5.3.3 Public Health Act (1976) ....................................................................................... 66 

5.3.4 The National Solid Waste Management Authority Act (2001) .............................. 66 

5.3.5 Jamaica National Heritage Trust Act (1985) .......................................................... 67 

5.3.6 Registration of Titles Act (1989) ........................................................................... 67 

5.3.7 The Factories Act (1973) ....................................................................................... 68 

5.3.8 Jamaica’s Energy Policy ........................................................................................ 69 

5.3.9 The Town and Country Planning (St. Catherine Coast) Provisional 

development Order, 1964 ....................................................................................... 70 

5.3.10 South Coast Sustainable Development Master Plan .............................................. 70 

5.4 International Legislative and Regulatory Considerations ........................................................... 71 

5.4.1 Cartegena Convention (Convention for the Protection and Development 

of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region) (1983) .................... 71 

5.4.2 Convention on Biological Diversity ....................................................................... 72 

6.0 Methodology and Approach .................................................................................................................... 74 

6.1 General Approach .................................................................................................... 74 

6.2 Physical Environment .............................................................................................. 74 

6.2.1 Site and Situation ................................................................................... 74 

6.2.2 Climate ................................................................................................... 75 

6.2.3 Hydrology .............................................................................................. 75 

6.2.4 Geology & topography .......................................................................... 76 

6.2.5 Drainage ................................................................................................. 76 

6.2.6 Storm water runoff ................................................................................. 76 

6.2.7 Coastal and Marine Ecosystem .............................................................. 76 

6.2.8 Noise & Air Quality ............................................................................... 76 

6.2.9 Solid Waste ............................................................................................ 77 

6.3 Biological Environment ........................................................................................... 77 

6.3.1 Terrestrial Flora ..................................................................................... 77 

6.3.2 Terrestrial Fauna .................................................................................... 77 

6.4 Socio-economic & Cultural Environment ............................................................... 77 

6.5 Manmade & Other Hazards ..................................................................................... 78 

6.6 Traffic Assessment ................................................................................................... 78 

7.0 Condition of the Existing Environment ................................................................................................... 79 

7.1 The Physical Environment ....................................................................................... 79 

7.1.1 Limestone Quarry Site ........................................................................... 80 

7.1.2 Cement Plant Site ................................................................................... 85 

7.1.3 Climate ................................................................................................... 94 

7.1.4 Air Quality ............................................................................................. 95 

7.1.5 Noise ...................................................................................................... 99 

7.1.6 Solid Waste ............................................................................................ 101 

7.1.7 Heritage Site Considerations .................................................................. 102


7.2 Biological Environment ........................................................................................... 102 

7.2.1 Cement Plant Site ................................................................................... 102 

7.2.2 Limestone Quarry Site ........................................................................... 103 

7.3 Socio Economic and Cultural Environment............................................................. 103 

7.3.1 Survey Findings ..................................................................................... 103 

7.4 Traffic Impact Assessment ...................................................................................... 104 

7.5 Hospitals .................................................................................................................. 104 

7.6 Police Stations .......................................................................................................... 105 

7.7 Man-made and other Hazards .................................................................................. 105 

8.0 Impact Summary and Monitoring Plan .................................................................................................... 108 

8.1 Impacts during the Construction Phase .................................................................... 108 

8.2 Impacts during Operations Phase ............................................................................. 113 

8.3 Impacts during Decommissioning Phase ................................................................. 120 

8.4 Summary Tables of Impacts and Mitigation Measures by Project Phase ........ 123 

9.0 Social and Economic Impacts .................................................................................................................. 145 

10.0 Emergency Preparedness and Response .................................................................................................. 148 

11.0 Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Management and Monitoring Plan ........................................ 149 

REFERENCES


APPENDICES 

APPENDIX I Emergency Response Program 

APPENDIX II Environmental Health & Safety Program 

APPENDIX 2 Preliminary Mining Permit 

APPENDIX 4 Terms of Reference 

APPENDIX 6 EIA Team 

APPENDIX 7 Preliminary Mining Plan 

APPENDIX 7.1 Contractor Agreements 

APPENDIX 7.1.4 Air shed Modeling Report 

APPENDIX 7.1.5 Noise Study Report 

APPENDIX 7.2 Hydro-geological Study Report 

APPENDIX 7.3 Drainage Study Report 

APPENDIX 7.3.2.6 Survey Form


LIST OF FIGURES 

FIGURE 1.0: CEMENT JAMAICA LIMITED’s PROPOSED PLANT LOCATION 

FIGURE 2.0: CEMENT JAMAICA LIMITED’s PROPOSED 30-MONTH PROJECT SCHEDULE 

FIGURE 2.1.1: MAP OF CEMENT JAMAICA LIMITED’s PROPOSED LAND DEVELOPMENT 

FIGURE 2.1.2: MAP OF CEMENT JAMAICA LIMITED’s PROPOSED LIMESTONE QUARRY DEVELOPMENT 

FIGURE 2.1.3: MAP OF CEMENT JAMAICA LIMITED’s PROPOSED CLAY QUARRY DEVELOPMENT 

FIGURE 2.1.4: SATELLITE VIEW SHOWING RELATIVE LOCATION OF LIMESTONE AND CLAY QUARRIES TO THE 

PROPOSED PLANT LOCATION FOR CEMENT JAMAICA LIMITED 

FIGURE 2.2: OVERVIEW OF THE CEMENT MANUFACTURING PROCESS 

FIGURE 7.1.3: SATELLITE VIEW SHOWING EXISTING EARTH DRAIN AND PROPOSEDFACTORY LAYOUT FOR CEMENT 

JAMAICA LIMITED 

FIGURE 7.1.3.1: MAP OF FUTURE PLANT SITE SHOWN THE CATCHMENT AREA ASSOCIATED WITH THE EXISTING 

TOPOGRAPHY 

PHOTO 7.1.3.5: PICTURE SHOWING TEAM MEMBER COLLECTING ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE FROM AN AREA RESIDENT 

FIGURE 7.1.5: SATELLITE VIEW SHOWING EXISTING MINING ACTIVITIES AT THE FUTURE LIMESTONE QUARRY FOR 

CEMENT JAMAICA LIMITED 

FIGURE 7.1.4.1: SATELLITE VIEW SHOWING TOPOGRAPHY OF THE PROPOSED FUTURE LIMESTONE QUARRY FOR 

CEMENT JAMAICA LIMITED 

FIGURE 7.1.4.2: MAP OF FUTURE QUARRY SITE SHOWING THE THREE (3) CATCHMENTAREAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE 

EXISTING TOPOGRAPHY 

PHOTO 7.1.4.6.1-A: PHOTO SHOWING CLARENDON GULLY LOOKING UPSTREAM TOWARD THE CULVERT WHICH 

RUNS UNDER HIGHWAY 2000 

PHOTO 7.1.4.6.1-B: PHOTO SHOWING CLARENDON GULLY AT THE CULVERT WHICH RUNS UNDER HIGHWAY 2000 

FIGURE 7.1.4.2: MAP OF FUTURE QUARRY SITE SHOWING THE CLARENDON GULLY CATCHMENT AREA 

PHOTO 7.1.4.6.1-A: PHOTO SHOWING CLARENDON GULLY LOOKING UPSTREAM TOWARDTHE CULVERT WHICH 






FIGURE 7.1.4.2: MAP OF FUTURE QUARRY SITE SHOWING THE CLARENDON GULLY CATCHMENT AREA 

FIGURE 7.1.15.1 AIR EMISSION POINT SOURCE 

FIGURE 7.1.15.2 MAP OF MARINE ENVIRONMENT 

FIGURE 7.1.15.3 SATELLITE MAP SHOWING RELATIVE DISTANCE BETWEEN SITES 

FIGURE 7.1.17: MAP OF FUTURE PLANT SITE SHOWING THE SIX (6) LOCATIONS OF THE BASELINE NOISE 

MONITORING SURVEY 

FIGURE 7.2 QUARRY SITE TOPOGRAPHY MAP 

FIGURE 7.3 CATCH ASSOCIATED WITH QUARRY SITE 

FIGURE 7.5 PROPOSEDPLANT SITE 

FIGURE 7.6 PLANT SITE GEOLOGICAL FORMATION 

FIGURE 7.7 PLANT SITE TOPOGRAPHY SURVEY 

FIGURE 7.8 CATCH ASSOCIATED WITH PLANT SITE


LIST OF TABLES 

TABLE 1 : CUMULATIVE AIR IMPACTS 

TABLE 2: CUMULATIVE IMPACT OF SOURCE CONTRIBUTIONS TO PEAK MODELED SHORT-TERM 

CONCENTRATIONS 

TABLE 3: CUMULATIVE TRAFFIC IMPACTS 

TABLE 5.1.1: CEMENT JAMAICA LIMITED’s PROPOSED PLANT PARTICULATE EMISSIONS COMPARED TO IFC 

TABLE 5.1.2: IFC STANDARDS FOR NOISE EMISSIONS 

TABLE 5.1.3: CEMENT JAMAICA LIMITED’s PROPOSED PLANT GASEOUS EMISSIONS COMPARED TO IFC 

GUIDELINES 

TABLE 5.1.4: CEMENT JAMAICA LIMITED’s PROPOSED COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT MINIMUM PERFORMANCE 

CRITERIA 

TABLE 5.2: NEPA STANDARDS FOR AIR POLLUTANTS 

TABLE 14: NEPA GUIDELINESS FOR EFFLUENT STANDARDS 

TABLE 14-A: Immediate Technology Based Effluent Standards - Existing Plants 

TABLE 14-B: Proposed Sewage Effluent Standards - New Plants 

TABLE 14-C: Interim Sewage Effluent - Irrigation Standards 

TABLE 14- D: Immediate Technology Based Effluent Standards - Existing Plants 

TABLE 7.3.1.2: WATER QUALITY DATA ANALYSES FOR BOWERS GULLY CURRENTLY ON THE PROPOSED FUTURE 

PLANT SITE 

TABLE 7.1.3.4: PREDICTED RAINFALL INTENSITY FOR DIFFERENT RETURN PERIODS AT THE BODLES STATION 

TABLE 7.1.3.5: CALCULATION FOR THE CAPACITY OF THE EXISTING DRAIN AND THE EXPECTED FLOW FROM A 2 

YEAR RAINFALL EVENT 

TABLE 7.1.3.9.1: CALCULATION OF THE PROPOSED DRAIN SIZED FOR THE 50 YEAR RETURN PERIOD 

TABLE 7.1.4.4: PREDICTED RAINFALL INTENSITY FOR DIFFERENT RETURN PERIODS AT THE BODLES STATION 

TABLE 7.1.4.6.1: GENERAL DIMENSIONS OF THE CLARENDON GULLY BASED ON DATA GATHERED DURING SITE 

VISIT 

TABLE 7.1. 17 COMPARISON OF AVERAGE NOISE LEVELS AT THE STATIONS WITH NEPA PROPOSED NOISE 

GUIDELINES 

Table 4-1 

Table 4-2 

Table 4-3 

Table 4-4 

Table 4-5 

Table 4-6 

TABLE 15: TRAFFIC SURVEY CONDUCTED BY ENVIROPLANNERS 

TABLE 16: FLOOD FREQUENCY 

TABLE 8.4. detailed summary of these effects, the mitigation measures, and the environmental monitoring plans

Introduction 


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been prepared in accordance with Terms of 

Reference (TOR) approved by Jamaica’s National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) 

found in Section 4.0 of this report. 

Cement Jamaica Limited (CJL) plans to build and operate a cement plant on the lands of the Port 

Esquivel Industrial Complex, St. Catherine, near the existing JB Feed Mill. The parcels of land 

(170 acres for the main plant and 500 acres for the limestone quarry) are strategically located 

within a region rich with limestone and zoned for mining with easy access to major roads, rail, 

and the port facility at Port Esquivel. 

The plant is expected to produce 900,000 tons of cement clinker in its first year of production 

(2013). The nominal design capacity of the cement plant is planned for 1,500,000 tons of 

cement clinker by the year 2015. Deep water access for the export of cement to neighboring 

Caribbean Islands, such as Haiti, is readily available via an existing sea port at Port Esquivel. In 

this regard, a cooperative agreement exists between CJL and the West Indies Aluminum 

Company (WINDALCO) to increase the utilization of the existing port facility which is currently 

used only 40-60% of the available time at Port Esquivel. 

The plant is planned to be constructed by an EPC Contractor, one of the world’s leading 

designers and constructors of modern cement plants. The EPC Contractor will utilize modern 

technology to allow CJL to maintain low operating costs, while minimizing fugitive dust 

emissions, and meeting the following guidelines established by the Inter-American Development 

Bank (IDB): 

• Cement Plant Environmental Emissions: less than 820 kg CO2/ton of clinker 

• Cement Plant Specific Fuel Consumption: less than 3200 MJ /ton of clinker 

Limestone is the main raw material in the cement manufacturing process. Therefore, as part of 

this project, CJL also proposes to greatly expand the existing quarrying operations at Rose Hall 

Clarendon, near the border of St. Catherine which is located only 1.5 kilometers from the cement 

plant. The limestone will be transported to the plant via an enclosed overland conveyor system 

that will run across Government of Jamaica Land (i.e. Bodles Agricultural Complex) and over 

Highway 2000 into the Port Esquivel Industrial Complex. 

Jamaica is also rich in clay and abundant reserves are located in relatively close proximity to the 

proposed location of the cement plant. This is important because clay is a raw material (typically 

used in the cement manufacturing process). Contracts will be established with existing clay 

quarry operating within a radius of 20 kilometers from the proposed location of the cement plant.

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From here, the clay will be transported to the limestone quarry at Rose Hall utilizing 20-ton 

trucks via the existing roads to a new 1.5 kilometers haul road which will run from the Old 

Harbour Main Road to the Limestone Quarry at Rose Hall. 

The final raw mix component to be used by CJL is a waste product, red mud, from Jamaica’s 

bauxite industry. Here, again, large quantities of this waste material are available in Jamaica 

since it is the tailings from the principal industrial means of refining bauxite into alumina. It is 

planned to use the waste material from WINDALCO’s existing industrial facilities located at 

Ewarton and/or Mandeville and to take advantage of regular rail or truck service from these 

facilities to WINDALCO’s port at the Port Esquivel Industrial Complex, St. Catherine. 

A 54 MW coal-fired/co-generation facility will be designed by the EPC Contractor to utilize 

waste heat from the cement manufacturing operations. In addition, it is foreseen for the EPC 

Contractor to supply and install a captive coal-fired power plant for the additional power 

required for power and utilities. Here, again, the EPC Contractor will utilize modern technology 

to meet the energy efficiency guidelines established by the Inter-American Development Bank 

(IDB): 

• Coal Fired Power Plant: greater than 36% for Net Plant HHV Efficiency (%) 

• Coal Fired Power Plant: less than 890 kg Net CO2 Emissions Intensity (kg CO2/net 

MWh) 

This modern, 54 MW Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion (CFBC) power plant will utilize 

imported coal to reduce Jamaica’s demand for oil and eliminate a need for CJL’s dependence on 

Jamaica Public Service (JPS) for power supply. In addition to coal, biomass or other carbonneutral 

fuel will be added as needed to reach the maximum of 890 kg CO2/MWh (net). 

Project Rationale 

Jamaica is an island nation with a population of 2,700,000 people with an economy that, since 

1990, has grown marginally above its population growth rate. This rate of economic growth is 

inadequate given Jamaica’s debt-to-GDP ratio of 135%, which is the fourth highest per capita 

globally. In this respect, Jamaica’s economy is largely dependent on the Service Industry 

(primarily Tourism). In fact, the Service Industry accounts for more than 60% of Jamaica’s 

GDP. 

However, Jamaica’s economy is also aided by Mining and Agricultural exports and, in this 

respect; Jamaica is estimated to have 150 billion tons of recoverable limestone which is the 

primary raw material in the production of cement. In fact, the abundance of limestone and other 

raw/waste materials, such as clay and red mud, makes Jamaica an ideal landscape for the 

production and export of cement. 

Prepared by EnviroPlanners Ltd. – 26 November 2010

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It is somewhat ironic, therefore, that Caribbean Cement Company Limited (CCCL) is the sole 

manufacturer of cement in Jamaica and, until 1999, was also the sole supplier of cement to 

Jamaica. For this and other reasons (such as cement shortages), the Government of Jamaica 

(GOJ) has encouraged investments in the expansion of cement production, to meet local demand 

and the earning of foreign exchange from export. 

Within the Caribbean Common Market (CARICOM), Jamaica, Trinidad, and Barbados are the 

major cement producing countries. Each of the three (3) cement plants in these countries are 

owned by the Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) Group, which has benefited from protection under 

the Common External Tariff (CET) because, for many years, the application of the CET made 

cement imports uneconomical. In recent years, supply shortages, quality issues, and rising 

cement prices have forced many CARICOM countries to seek CET waivers to pre-determined 

quotas to enable the importation of cheaper cement. The import of cement by CARICOM 

member states from non-TCL sources are more recently significant and highlight the degree to 

which distributors are seeking cheaper alternatives to the TCL Group. 

Jamaica is one of the largest economies in the Caribbean and it should be able to reverse the flat 

to moderate economic performances of prior years and start to achieve significant economic 

growth. The project described below will have a favorable impact on all sectors of the economy, 

particularly the construction sector which tends to experience a boom during the periods to 

economic growth. Moreover, the ability of the GOJ to improve tax revenue collections will 

impact on the Government’s ability to address Jamaica’s growing debt and provide additional 

resources for investment in public infrastructure. As a result of this project, it is expected that 

tax revenues from GCT (General Consumption Tax) and Income Tax will generate 

approximately $75 million USD annually for the GOJ. 

The Project 

Cement Jamaica Limited (CJL) plans a state-of-the-art, cost-effective, and environmentallyfriendly 

cement plant for Jamaica’s south coast with easy access to the sea port, limestone, clay, 

and red mud reserves that are required to produce and export portland cement. It is foreseen by 

CJL to design the cement plant to nominally produce 1.5 million tons of cement clinker per 

annum, of which three-quarters (3/4) would be exported and one-quarter (1/4) would be utilized 

by the local construction industry. Cemcorp Canada, the parent company of CJL, is a group that 

includes the largest condominium builder in Canada and major construction company. The 

group, itself, uses 70,000 tons of cement per annum. 


5 


Figure 1.0 Project Location 

Specifically, CJL proposes to erect and operate a new cement plant at the existing Port Esquivel 

Industrial Complex and limestone quarry at Rose Hall, part of Old Harbour Hill in St Catherine. 

The project is estimated to cost $340 million USD and to use less than 310 million tons of 

limestone over the next 50 years (this is less than 1% of Jamaica’s available limestone reserves). 

A 30-month construction/commissioning schedule is anticipated, followed by 50-years of plant 

operations, and ultimately a 24-month decommissioning period which includes the re-vegetation 

of the limestone quarry. 

The cement production process involves the following activities: 

• Quarry & Raw Materials Preparation 

• Clinker Production 

• Cement Grinding & Distribution 

The successful implementation of this project should provide high quality cement at affordable 

prices to major distributors within the Caribbean region. CJL’s mission is to implement positive 

change in the Jamaican cement industry. In fact, CJL has already concluded significant take or 

pay contracts with strong and reputable users and distributors of cement to cover a significant 

portion of its proposed production which will serve to effectively manage the new company’s 

profitability. 


6 


The plant will make optimum use of the existing deep water access at the Port of Esquivel for the 

cost-effective export of cement products to the wider Caribbean, USA and Canada. The plant, 

itself, will be located 3.5 kilometers from Port Esquivel at the intersection of the Port Esquivel 

access road and Highway 2000 which will provide easy access for the transport of product to the 

local construction industry. An existing rail road runs parallel to Windalco Road, adjacent to the 

proposed location of the new cement plant. Windalco’s port facilities will also provide 

convenient access for the importation of clean, high quality coal for use by CJL’s state-of-the-art, 

coal-fired/co-generation power generating plant. The power plant is needed to reduce Jamaica’s 

need for oil and to eliminate CJL’s dependence on JPS for power supply. Importantly, the fly 

ash (which is a waste material associated with coal burning power plants) will be 100% utilized 

by CJL as a cement additive. Moreover, a cogeneration facility will utilize waste heat from the 

cement manufacturing operations. Finally, gypsum which is added in small quantities (5%) to 

cement clinker (because it controls the setting time of concrete) will be transported to the cement 

plant by truck or barge from an existing gypsum facility owned by the TCL Group 65 kilometers 

away in Rockfort. 

Applicable Policies and Legislation 

Pollution control will be a main priority as it is the duty of CJL to be the steward of 

environmental protection at the cement plant, limestone quarry, and sea port. As such, pollution 

control measures and safeguards were selected with respect to the applicable policies and 

legislation requirements of Jamaica as well the International Guidelines, including those of the 

International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB): 

• International Finance Corporation (IFC, World Bank Group) Environmental, Health, and 

Safety Guidelines for Cement and Lime Manufacturing 

• Document of the Inter-American Development Bank - Cement Manufacturing Plants 

Guidelines (An Approach to Reconciling the Financing of Cement Manufacturing Plants 

with Climate Change Objectives, March 10, 2010) 

• Document of the Inter-American Development Bank - Coal Fired Power Plants 

Guidelines (An Approach to Reconciling the Financing of Coal-Fired Power Plants with 

Climate Change Objectives, July 10, 2010) 

• Natural Resources Conservation Authority Act (1991) 

• Environmental Review and Permitting Process (1997) 

• Wildlife Protection Act (1945) 

• The Endangered Species (Protection, Conservation and Regulation of Trade) Act (2000) 

• The Natural Resources (Prescribed Areas)(Prohibition of Categories of Enterprise, 

Construction and Development) Order (1996) 

• Water Resources Act (1995) 

• Country Fires Act (1942) 


7 


• Quarries Control Act (1983) 

• The Pesticides (Amendment) Act (1996) 

• Clean Air Act (1964) 

• The Natural Resources Conservation Authority (Air Quality) Regulations, 2002 

• Trade Effluent and Sewage Regulations (1996) (Draft) 

• Watershed Protection Act (1963) 

• Town and Country Planning Act (1958) 

• Land Development and Utilization Act (1966) 

• Public Health Act (1976) 

• The National Solid Waste Management Authority Act (2001) 

• Jamaica National Heritage Trust Act (1985) 

• Registration of Titles Act (1989) 

• The Factories Act (1973) 

• Jamaica’s Energy Policy 

• The Town and Country Planning (St. Catherine Coast) Provisional Development Order, 

1964 

• South Coast Sustainable Development Master Plan 

• Cartagena Convention (Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine 

Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region) (1983) 

• Convention on Biological Diversity 

• Portland Bright Protected Area (PBPA) 

The project site consists of two (2) parcels of land in close proximity (2.0 kilometers) to each 

other and strategically located within a region rich with limestone and zoned for mining with 

easy access to major roads and the rail network as well as the existing West Indies Aluminum 

Company (WINDALCO) facilities at Port Esquivel. The water needed for plant operations will 

be provided by Windalco’s deep water well through CJL’s agreement with Windalco/ Jamaica 

Broilers. The limestone quarry, located at Rose Hall, is outside and to the north of the Portland 

Bright Protected Area (PBPA), while the plant site itself is located at an existing industrial 

complex, just on the edge of the PBPA, that is specifically zoned for industrial development by 

the Government of Jamaica. 

Impact Identification 

Environmental and Social Impacts were identified for each of the three (3) phases of the project: 

1. Construction Phase; 

2. Operational Phase; 

3. Decommissioning Phase. 

The main activities to be undertaken for each phase of this project include: 


8 


• Construction Phase: 

o Land clearing 

o Construction (plant, conveyor and road) 

o Transportation of heavy equipment and construction materials 

o Operation of heavy equipment 

o Fuel storage and dispensing for heavy equipment 

• Operational Phase: 

o Access and opening of the quarries 

o Mining and Crushing Operations 

o Cement Plant Operation 

o Transport and Stockpiling of raw materials 

o Transport of bag and bulk cement local and export. 

o Power Plant Operation 

o Fuel storage and dispensing 

• Decommissioning Phase: 

o Dismantling and removal of equipment 

o Re-vegetation of land and quarries 

The potential negative impacts associated with this project are presented in the Table below: 

POTENTIALLY NEGATIVE (SIGNIFICANT AND INSIGNIFICANT) IMPACTS 

ASPECT POTENTIAL NEGATIVE IMPACTS 

CONTRUCTION PHASE 

1. Noise • Nuisance to persons 

• Habitat disturbance 

• Hearing impairment (temporary, permanent) 

2. Fugitive dust emissions • Air pollution 

• Respiratory problems 

• Increased sediment loads and degradation of natural 

aquatic receptors 

3. Vehicular emissions • Air pollution 


4. Solid waste (top soil, vegetation, construction • Land and water pollution 

debris, garbage) 

• Decreased availability of land fill 

5. Human waste • Land and water pollution 

6. Use of fuel • Depletion of (oil) resources 

7. Removal of vegetation • Habitat destruction 

• Disruption of ecosystems 

8. Soil erosion • Movement of sediment and pollutants into water 

courses 

• On-site impact is the reduction in soil quality which 

results from the loss of the nutrient-rich upper layers 

of the soil 

9. Increased traffic movement • Traffic congestion 

• Motor vehicle accidents 


9 


10. Use of water • Depletion of water resources 

• Effluent 

11. Spills • Land and water pollution 

12. Construction work • Accidents causing death or injury 

13. Land use • Displacement of about twenty (20) small farmers 

• Construction worker’s camp 

14. Foreign work force • Temporary population increase 

• Foreign worker health problems 

• Foreign/Local interactions 

• Camp disturbance 

• Local community disturbance 

• Transmitted diseases 


OPERATION PHASE 




• Hearing impairment (temporary,permanent) 



• Foliage growth impedance 

• Increased sediment loads and degradation of natural 

aquatic receptors 



4. Solid waste (top soil, vegetation, operating • Land and water pollution 



6. Use of Fuels & Lubricants • Depletion of (coal and oil) resources 

• Greenhouse gas emissions (CO2) 

• Air emissions (NOX, SOX, CO, Particulate) 

7. Removal of vegetation at Limestone Quarry • Habitat destruction 


• Displacement of a handful of families informally 

dwelling in this area 

8. Soil Erosion • Movement of sediment and pollutants into water 

courses 

9. Increased traffic movement • Traffic congestion 


10. Use of water • Depletion of water resources 

• Effluent 

11. Spills/Fuels & Lubricants (Oil spills/leaks) • Land and water pollution 

12. Operation and Maintenance • Accidents causing death or injury 

13. Land use • Development of land for other purposes 

14. Aesthetics • Visually unattractive 

15. Vibration • Nuisance to persons 


16. Increase utilization of existing port facilities • Loss of marine habitat 

• Increased water pollution 


10 



DECOMMISSIONING PHASE 




• Hearing impairment (temporary,permanent) 





4. Solid waste (decommissioning debris, garbage) • Land and water pollution 



6. Use of Fuels & Lubricants • Depletion of (oil) resources 

7. Spills/Fuels & Lubricants (Oil spills/leaks) • Land and water pollution 

8. Decommissioning • Accidents causing death or injury 

Potentially beneficial impacts associated with the Project are presented in the following Table: 

POTENTIALLY POSITIVE (SIGNIFICANT AND INSIGNIFICANT) IMPACTS 

ACTIVITY POTENTIAL POSITIVE IMPACTS 

CONSTRUCTION PHASE 

1. Creation of construction jobs • Employment for locals 

• Increased commercial activities in the area 

2. Excavation • May reveal a heritage site 

3. Improved infrastructure • Accident prevention 

4. Increased Standard of Living • Increased commercial activities in the area 

5. Foreign work force • Skills transfer 

• Technology transfer 

• Cultural diversity 

6. Increase utilization of existing port facilities • More jobs, increased earnings, government revenue 

OPERATING PHASE 

1. Creation of jobs • Employment for locals 


• New skills development 


2. Increased Standard of Living • Increased commercial activities in the area 

3. Cement plant and quarry operation • Potential for supplying excess power to National Grid 

• Promotion of the use of cogeneration and alternative 

fuels 

• Utilization of waste materials from other industries 

(Red Mud) 

• Possible lower cement prices in Jamaica 

• Improve Jamaica’s trade balance (increased exports) 

4. Foreign work force • Skills transfer 


• Cultural diversity 

5. Increased Tax Revenue • All categories (corporate, personal, consumption, 

etc.) 


11 


6. Increase utilization of existing port facilities • More jobs, increased earnings, government revenue 


1. Creation of decommissioning jobs • Employment for locals (job loss for others) 


2. Land use • Development of land for other purposes (ecological, 

social and commercial) 

The following Table presents a summary of the significant aspects for the construction, 

operation, and decommissioning phases of the project. Most of the significant impacts identified 

are associated with the construction and operating phases. In all cases the significant negative 

impacts can be mitigated. 

Negative environmental impacts can be mitigated by implementing measures during the 

construction, operating, maintenance and decommissioning phases to eliminate or significantly 

reduce them. Mitigation measures to address the potential negative impacts, significant or not, 

associated with this project are presented in the following Table. 

ASPECT / POTENTIAL SIGNIFICANT 

IMPACTS 

MITIGATION MEASURES 

CONSTRUCTION PHASE 

1. Noise 

• Advise institutions and residents in the surrounding 

• Nuisance to persons 

communities of construction date and times when 


high noise activity will occur 

• Hearing impairment (temporary, • Good site management; Appropriate choice of 

permanent) 

machinery; Methods of working; Hours of working; 

Efficient material handling. 

• Define access routes to the site with the smallest 

number of properties in proximity to it. Goods will 

be imported through Port Esquivel to keep vehicle 

movements to a minimum. Once link roads are 

completed, all construction traffic to/from the quarry 

site should only use the link roads to avoid the 

Parochial Road/Foothill Community. 

• Construction workers to wear Personal Protective 

Equipment 

2. Fugitive dust emissions & vehicular emissions • Cover haulage vehicles transporting aggregate, soil 

• Air pollution 

and cement 


• Cover onsite stockpiles of aggregate, cement, soil, 

• Increased sediment loads and 

etc. 

degradation of natural aquatic receptors • Ensure proper stock piling/storage and disposal of 

solid waste 

• Wetting of cleared land areas regularly and 

enforcement of speed limits 

• Provide workers with the necessary Personal 

Protective Equipment (PPE) e.g. dust masks and 

ensure that they are worn 

• Operate well maintained vehicles and equipment 

4. Solid waste (top soil, vegetation, construction • Contain garbage and construction debris and dispose 


12 



• Land and water pollution 

5. Human waste 


7. Removal of Vegetation 

• Habitat destruction 


8. Soil Erosion 

• Movement of sediment and pollutants 

into water courses 

9. Increased traffic movement 

• Traffic congestion 


11. Spills 


12. Construction work 

• Accidents causing death or injury 

of at the approved municipal disposal site 

• Landscape project sites with top soil excavated 

• EPC Contractor to prioritize installation of sewage 

treatment facility as one of the first activities 

• Use a reputable company to provide portable toilets 

for workers at quarry site 

• Employment of project appointed ecologist 

• Translocation of fauna and some vegetation (trees) 

• Implement Habitat Restoration Program 

• Implementation of proper drainage plans 

• Implementation of proper mining plans 

• Only clear top soil from areas to be used 

• Place berms around stockpiles of top soil 

• Advise schools and residents in the surrounding 

communities of construction dates and times 

• Good site management; Appropriate choice of 

machinery; Methods of working; Hours of working; 

Efficient material handling. 

• Define access routes 

• Goods will be imported through Port Esquivel to 

keep vehicle movements to a minimum. 

• Once link roads are completed, all construction 

traffic to/from the quarry site should only use the link 

roads to avoid the Parochial Road/Foothill 

Community. 

• Construction workers to wear seat belts 

• Erect signs along main transportation routes and in 

sensitive areas such as schools 

• Transport heavy equipment during off-peak traffic 

hours (between 2:00 to 4:00 a.m.) with police 

outriders 

• Trucks transporting construction material should be 

advised to comply with the speed limits 

• Use traffic signals or flagmen to manage traffic flows 

where road improvement works are being undertaken 

• Store fuel with secondary spill containment 

infrastructure 

• Utilize proper dispensing equipment 

• Have spill containment and cleanup equipment on 

site and dispose of waste in accordance with best 

practices 

• Implementation of Emergency Preparedness and 

Response Program (See APPENDIX 12) 

• Implementation of the Environmental Health & 

Safety Program (See APPENDIX 11) 

• Implementation of Prearranged quality curative 

treatment in May Pen Hospital for all emergencies 

• Erect signs during construction activities 


Protective Equipment (PPE) 

• Train construction personnel in good safety practices 

and emergency preparedness and response measures 


13 


13. Land Use 

• Displacement of about twenty (20) small 

farmers 

• Construction worker’s camp 

14. Foreign work force 

• Temporary population increase 

• Foreign worker health problems 

• Foreign/Local interactions 

• Camp disturbance 

• Local community disturbance 

• Transmitted diseases 

OPERATION PHASE 

ASPECT / POTENTIAL SIGNIFICANT 


1. Noise 

• Nuisance to persons 


• Hearing impairment (temporary, 

permanent) 

2. Fugitive dust emissions 



• Increased sediment loads and 

degradation of natural aquatic receptors 

3. Vehicular emissions 



4. Solid waste (operating debris, garbage) 


5. Human waste 


6. Use of Fuels & Lubricants 

• Depletion of (coal and oil) resources 

• Greenhouse gas emissions (CO2) 

• Air emissions (NOX, SOX, CO, 

Particulate) 

7. Removal of Vegetation (Quarry Only) 

• Habitat destruction 


• Agreement reached with farmers for their relocation 

adjacent to plant boundary. 

• Financial and employment assistance 

• Erection of security fence 

• Planned re-use of construction camp facilities for 

future cement storage 

• In-camp codes of conduct and enforcement of key 

behaviors and reasonable use of alcohol shall be 

required 

• Establishment of “Liaison Committee” 

• Provision of employment and opportunities to local 

population 

• Employ security personnel 


• Industrial workers to wear Personal Protective 

Equipment, e.g. ear plugs and ensure they are worn 

• Equipment designed to conform to IFC EHS 

Guidelines 

• Controlled and informed blasting activities and times 

• Cover haulage vehicles transporting raw materials 

and cement 

• Covered onsite stockpiles of raw materials 

• Wetting of quarry haul road and unpaved areas and 

enforcement of speed limits 


Protective Equipment (PPE) e.g. dust masks and 

ensure that they are worn 

• Operate well maintained vehicles and equipment 

• Planting of trees to serve as windbreaks 

• Use of low-emission vehicles and proper 

maintenance procedures 

• Recycling of solid waste 

• Use of fuel for the cement rotary kiln 

• Use as composting material for green spaces 

• Proper design and maintenance of sewage treatment 

facility at both plant and quarry sites 

• Compliance with NEPA standards 

• Compliance with IDB Guidelines and NEPA 

Requirements 

• Use of latest advances in technology 

• Use of 30mg/Nm 3 IFC standard 

• Regular wetting of unpaved roads 

• Employment of project appointed ecologist 

• Re-vegetation as you go by implementing Habitat 

Restoration Program 

8. Soil Erosion (Quarry Only) • Implementation of proper drainage plans 


14 


• Movement of sediment and pollutants 

into water courses 

9. Increased traffic movement 

• Traffic congestion 


10. Use of water 

• Depletion of water resources 

• Effluent 

11. Spills 


12. Operation and maintenance work 


14. Aesthetics 

• Visually unattractive 

16. Increase utilization of existing port facilities 

• Loss of marine habitat 

• Increased water pollution 

• Implementation of proper mining plans 

• Only clear top soil from areas to be used 

• Place berms around stockpiles of top soil 

• Hours of working; Efficient material handling. 

• Define access routes 

• Truck drivers and plant personnel to wear seat belts 

while in vehicles 

• Training and accident prevention classes 

• Erect signs along main transportation routes and in 

sensitive areas such as schools 

• Transport heavy equipment during off-peak traffic 

hours 

• Trucks transporting raw materials and cement should 

be advised to comply with the speed limits 

• Use traffic signals or flagmen to manage traffic flows 

where road improvement works are being undertaken 

• Use of modern technology (co-generation and Waste 

Heat Recover Boilers) 

• Use of closed-loop recirculation technology 

• Treatment of effluent in compliance with NEPA 

guidelines 

• Store fuel with secondary spill containment 

infrastructure 

• Utilize proper dispensing equipment 

• Have spill containment and cleanup equipment on 

site and dispose of waste in accordance with best 

practices 

• Training of personnel in proper handling of 

hazardous materials 







• Erect safety reminder signs and comply with local 

regulations 



• Train operation and maintenance personnel in good 

safety practices and emergency preparedness and 

response measures 

• Reserve green areas 

• Use aesthetically pleasing paints and colors 

• Opacity monitoring of industrial stacks 

• Execute mining plan which is focused on visual 

appeal, especially from Highway 2000 

• Optimum use of ocean transport 

• Follow rules and regulations of Windalco and 

Jamaica Port Authority 


15 



ASPECT / POTENTIAL NEGATIVE 



4. Solid waste (decommissioning debris, garbage) • Maximizing recycling, e.g. scrap metal 



7. Spills/Fuels & Lubricants (Oil spills/leaks) • Comply with regulations and follow procedures and 


protocols related to hazardous materials, if any. 

8. Decommissioning 








• Erect safety reminder signs and comply with local 

regulations 



• Train demolition personnel in good safety practices 

and emergency preparedness and response measures 

The detailed summary of these effects, the mitigation measures, and the environmental 

monitoring plans are found in Table 8.4 found in Section 8.0 (Impact Summary and Monitoring 

Plan). 

Conclusion 

This project is recommended for implementation because the positive impacts far outweigh the 

negative impacts. Jamaica will benefit from increase employment, increased earnings, increased 

tax revenue, increased foreign investment, and increased exports while the use of modern 

technology and other measures are taken to mitigate all of the potentially negative impacts. 

All of the potential negative impacts identified can be effectively mitigated to reduce the risks 

and to meet the required environmental and social standards. The following is a summary of 

cumulative impacts: 

Cumulative Impact on Air Quality: 

A determination of the impact of the existing sources on the ambient air quality was 

made, as well as the cumulative impact with the addition of the air pollutant sources 

associated with the proposed cement manufacturing facility. TABLE 1 shows the model 

results for (i) existing sources and (ii) all sources. The results for the existing sources 

reveal predicted high concentrations that exceed the respective Jamaican National 

Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) air quality standards for PM10 (24-hour 


Pollutant 

16 

PM10 

NO2 

SO2 

CO 


averaging period), NO2 (1-hour averaging period), and all averaging periods for SO2. In 

addition, the predicted annual average concentration for PM10 is exceeded once the 

background concentration is added as shown in TABLE 1. 

Average 

Period 

TABLE 1: CUMULATIVE AIR IMPACTS 

However, TABLE 2 demonstrates that the addition of the cement manufacturing facility 

will actually contribute insignificantly to the cumulative impact of the overall air quality. 

This is because by adding the other nearby sources (specifically, the existing power 

plants at Old Harbour Bay - Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) and Jamaica Energy 

Partners (JEP) together with the Jamaica Broiler, Hipro Feed Mill facility and the 

Jamaica Broilers Ethanol facility), it is demonstrated that the proposed cement 

manufacturing facility has a negligible impact to the cumulative air quality impact of all 

sources within the project area. In fact, TABLE 2 shows that the specific contribution of 

the existing Feed Mill overwhelmingly contributes to the peak modeled concentrations 

within the air shed. This can be easily rectified and CJL has expressed a willingness to 

design a new exhaust gas system for the Feed Mill according to "Good Engineering 

Practice" (GEP) so that its stack height is adequate to ensure that its point source 

emissions do not result in excessive pollutant concentrations in the immediate vicinity 

of its source. 

TABLE 2: CUMULATIVE IMPACT OF SOURCE CONTRIBUTIONS TO PEAK MODELED SHORT-TERM 

CONCENTRATIONS 

Facilities 

Background 

(µg/m 3 ) 

NAAQS 

(µg/m 3 ) 

Existing Sources 

Maximum Concentration 

(µg/m 3 ) 

Concentrations, µg/m 3 

PM10 – 24h NO2 – 1h NO2 – 24h SO2 – 1h SO2 – 24h CO – 1h CO – 8h 

Cement Jamaica Limited 17.996 0 0.245 0.01 0.3 0.0002 0.006 

Jamaica Public Service 1.3 0 0.028 6911.63 567.2 2128.4 0.052 

Jamaica Energy Partners 0.4 0.0004 0.093 1056.36 84.5 107.5 0.003 

Hipro Feed Mill 162.3 2904.74 679.157 0 0.0003 0 470.066 

Prepared by EnviroPlanners Ltd. – 26 November 2010 

All Sources 

Maximum Concentration 

(µg/m 3 ) 

24-hr 9 150 164 182 

Annual 20 60 41 49 

1-h 0 400 3021 3021 

Annual 0 100 95 96 

1-hr 0 700 7968 7968 

24-hr 0 280 652 652 

Annual 0 60 185 185 

1-hr 0 40000 2236 2236 

8-hr 0 10000 470 470

17 


Jamaica Broilers Ethanol 0.004 0.0236 0.02 0 0.0007 0 0.006 

Totals 182 2905 680 7968 652 2236 470 

Cumulative Impact on Noise Quality: 

There will be a cumulative increase in noise. 

The plant, however, will be fully compliant with International Standards (IFC’s EHS 

Guidelines) so with the aid of personal protective equipment, the cement plant workers 

are unlikely to be impacted. Moreover, the plant is located within an existing industrial 

complex and will be designed for a maximum background noise of 60 dBA at any point 

from outside the plant fence so there will not be a significant increase in background 

noise from the proposed plant itself. 

Of greater concern is the noise resulting from increased traffic outside of the plant. In 

fact, the baseline noise study identified an existing noise level ranging from 41.0 dBA to 

83.3 dBA at a unique location some 0.3 kilometers away from the industrial complex 

itself. This suggests that the existing noise levels – having nothing to do with industrial 

activities - are already cause for concern and, if there is any incremental increase in the 

background noise then this will make it worse. However, the location of this noise 

receptor is, in fact, in a low population area and there is nothing present there (apart from 

Highway 2000) that generates noise in a sustained way so (for the purposes of this EIA 

Report and the cumulative impact resulting from the proposed cement plant), the source 

of this noise was considered to be isolated and coincidental to the time of monitoring. 

Cumulative Impact on Traffic: 

There will be a cumulative increase in automobile and truck traffic in the vicinity of the 

Port Esquivel Industrial Complex as a result of the estimated employment of 300 

cement factory workers plus an associated 400 daily truck movements. Based on the 

highlighted information presented in TABLE 3, the expected result is a maximum 20% 

increase to the base-line number of vehicles (3,378) reported at the intersection of 

Highway 2000 and Old Harbour main road during the hours of 8:00AM to 5:00PM. 

This is actually seen as a positive impact because this section of Highway 2000 is a toll 

road with low utilization, built to international safety standards consisting of four (4) 

traffic lanes with soft shoulders on either side. Toll revenues can be expected to increase 

by a minimum of 10%. 


Transported 

Material 

Clay 

Red Mud 

Gypsum 

Coal 

31,000-ton 

Ships 

Pozzolana 

35,000-ton 

Ships 

Cement 

18,000-ton 

Ships 

18 


Traffic on Old Harbour Main Road will also increase as a result of the proposed project, 

but the primary area of concern (i.e. the parochial road leading to the limestone quarry) 

will be avoided by CJL constructing a new 1.5 kilometer haul road. 

Traffic on the Old Harbour Road in the vicinity of the development will be also increased 

as a result of the transportation of clay, this increase in vehicular traffic was included as 

part of the 20% increase in traffic onto Highway 2000 identified above. 

The other significant increase in traffic will be on the Port Esquivel Road, but this is a 

private road with very low usage (88 between the hours of 8:00 am – 5:00 pm). This 

impact will therefore not be of concern. One of the significant benefits of the proposed 

project is to increase the utilization of the existing port facility which have been 

negatively impacted by the economic downturn and its severe impact on Jamaica’s 

bauxite industry as well as Jamaica’s unemployment rate of more than 20%. 

In summary, an overall 20% increase in traffic will occur. However, based on the low 

utilization rates, the existing infrastructure is more than adequate to handle the increased 

number of vehicles and, therefore, the cumulative impact in terms of “congestion” is 

negligible. 

Transport 

Method 

20-ton 

Trucks 

Frequency of 

Round Trips 

85 Trips 

Daily 

Rail Avoid 19 Trips 

27-ton Cars Daily by Trucks 

20-ton 

Trucks 

40-ton 

Trucks 

40-ton 

Trucks 

17 Trips 

Daily 

775 Trips 

Monthly 

875 Trips 

Monthly 

TABLE 3: CUMULATIVE TRAFFIC IMPACTS 

Distance 

(km) 

Name of Roads Impacted 


Type 

12 Salt River Road Existing Local Public Road 

1 Old Harbour Main Road Existing Local Public Road 

2 CJL Limestone Quarry Road New Private Road 

40 No Traffic Impact if Rail is Used Existing Private Rail 

11 Eleven Mile Town Road St. Thomas Parrish Road 

11 Bustamante Highway Existing City Public Roads 

7 Kingston City Roads Existing National Public Road 

30 Highway 2000 Existing National Toll Road 

0.2 Old Harbour Main Road Existing Local Public Road 

0.2 Windalco Access Road Existing Private Road 



Trucks for 

Local 

Market 

100 Trips Daily 30 Highway 2000 Existing National Toll Road 

Trucks for 200 Trips Daily 3.5 Windalco Access Road Existing Private Road

19 


Export 

Market 

Cumulative Impact on Water Resources: 

There will be a negligible cumulative impact on water usage within the Port Esquivel 

Industrial Complex because, here again, the current utilization rates are currently less 

than 50% as a result of the economic downturn. The water demand of the proposed 

project will increase the water usage of the industrial complex, principally as a result of 

the new power plant that is required to operate the cement plant. The cement plant, 

itself, including its sewage treatment plant will consume a maximum of only 30,000 

gallons of water per day for domestic and industrial purposes combined. This is 

because of the water-conserving features of the cement plant (i.e. the Waste Heat 

Recovery Boiler and closed-loop water recirculation systems). The technology 

employed is therefore designed for low water usage. 

There is existing deep water well on the property that is designed for 14,700 m 3 / hr that 

is not currently in use. The cement plant with captive power plant is estimated to 

require 500 m 3 /hr of water to result in a maximum increase of 5% in water demand for 

the Port Esquivel Industrial Complex will occur. However, based on the current low 

utilization rates, the existing infrastructure is more than adequate to handle the increased 

demand and, therefore, the cumulative impact in terms of “availability” is not of concern. 

Cumulative Impact on Waste Disposal: 

The cumulative effect of waste disposal is limited to the construction phase of the 

project. It is negligible because of the EPC Contractor’s Recycling Program 

(Segregation and recycling of construction waste by EPC Contractor into metal 

components, plastics, and glass separately elaborated in Section X) and because it is for 

such a brief period of time (less than 30 months) compared to the operational phase of 

the project (50 years). The waste generated during the operational phase of the project 

will either be burned as an alternative fuel in the cement rotary kiln or composted for 

use as organic fertilizer. The plant will be built with modern sewage treatment facilities 

and any effluent will comply with NEPA’s requirements as elaborated in Section 5.2.14 

of this EIA Report. 

Cumulative Impact on Energy Consumption: 

The cumulative effect of the proposed project on Jamaica’s energy consumption will be 

positive. This is because while the cement plant will be connected to the national power 

grid, the integrated/cogeneration/captive coal-fired power plant will be fully capable of 


20 


meeting 100% of the cement plant’s needs, and it will be capable of doing so at much 

lower costs than Jamaica Public Service (JPS). In fact, the plant will be capable of 

exporting lower-cost power to the National Grid which would help to improve the current 

power generation shortage situation in Jamaica. It is therefore likely that the proposed 

project will have a very positive cumulative impact on energy consumption – given that 

the vast majority of Jamaica’s power is produced using some combination of diesel 

oil/heavy oil which must be imported from other countries. 

Presently, there are two (2) generating power stations at Old Harbour Bay and both 

regular and high-tension power service is available at the proposed plant site. The 

negative impact of the proposed project on energy consumption is only during the 

construction phase of the project because only during this period of time will the 

cement plant will be dependent on Jamaica’s National Power Grid. However, the 

negative impact is negligible because the power demand to support construction 

activities will be a maximum of 4000 kWh/day and will last for a maximum of 30 

months before the captive power plant becomes operational. This demand will also be 

offset by utilizing power for a Standby Generator for emergency power which will be 

installed at the start of construction and therefore for used during construction. 

Cumulative Social Impact: 

According to the 2001 National Census of Jamaica, St. Catherine had an unemployment 

rate of 17%. A new census is scheduled for 2011, but it seems obvious, based on what 

has happened to Jamaica’s bauxite and sugar industries over the last decade, together 

with the current global recession that the local unemployment rate is currently in excess 

of 20%. Therefore, the cumulative effect of the proposed project on Jamaica’s social 

environment will be very positive. This is because the proposed project will be a 

significant source of employment: 

• Approximately 300 local workers will be employed in short-term construction 

jobs; 

• Approximately 450 local workers will be employed in long-term industrial jobs; 

• Indirectly, it is estimated that 1,000 people will be employed in cement-related 

industries as a result of this project. 

This is a positive not only for the immediate project area but the entire country as the 

major source of employment in the surrounding communities, until recently, has been 

from the bauxite and sugar industries as well as the port facilities at Old Harbour Bay and 

three (3) major housing communities being planned and built. The proposed project will 

go a long way towards alleviating unemployment in the communities and therefore 

increase the standard of living in this area and to the country by extension. 


21 


The negative social impacts will be very minor because the cement plant will have its 

own first aid, security, fire-and prevention facilities so the net impact on local area 

hospitals, fire departments, and police stations will be minor. Moreover, the EPC 

Contractor has a sound health and safety management plan so the cumulative impact on 

the social infrastructure as the May Pen Hospital, for example, is not expected to 

increase in any significant way. Similarly, apart from increase local patrols, no 

significant increase on the local police is expected. Finally, the plant will be designed 

with fire-prevention and a fire prevention management system (sprinklers and hydrants) 

so the increased demand to local fire departments is expected to be minimal. 


22 


1.0 INTRODUCTION 

Cement Jamaica Limited (CJL) proposes the construction of a cement production facility at the 

Port Esquivel Industrial Complex and Rose Hall District St. Catherine/Clarendon, to be built and 

operated using the most modern design and technological standards. The facility, having a 

proposed location as shown in FIGURE 1.0, will be nominally capable of producing 1.5 million 

ton per annum of clinker (the main component of cement) and will also incorporate the 

development of a limestone quarry. Limestone, itself, represents 75% of the raw material input 

to the clinker production. 20% of the raw material component for cement clinker is clay which 

will be acquired from existing clay mining operation. Waste components, red mud and coal ash; 

make up the final 5% of the mix design for producing cement clinker. Gypsum is blended into 

the clinker at a rate of about 2% and will be obtained from Carib Cement at Rockfort. This 

document provides a detail description of the project, applicable laws, the existing environment 

and describes the key impacts of the proposed development on the environment and local people 

through the construction, operation, and decommissioning phases of the project. 

This document presents the findings of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the 

proposed Cement Plant and Quarry Operation by Cement Jamaica Limited at Port Esquivel 

Industrial Complex and Rose Hall District St Catherine/Clarendon. The National 

Environmental and Planning Agency (NEPA), as a part of its permitting process require that 

projects of this nature conduct an EIA of the proposed development. EnviroPlanners Limited was 

contracted to conduct the study in accordance with the terms of reference approved by NEPA. 

1.1 Purpose 

An application was submitted for a development permit to the NEPA. The application was 

accompanied by Project Information Form (PIF) and supporting documentation. NEPA 

responded to that application with a request that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) be 

conducted on the proposed development, based on their review of the permit application. NEPA 

supplied Generic Terms of Reference and requested modification of these Terms of Reference to 

be specific to the project. The modified Terms of Reference were submitted to NEPA for their 

approval and a response obtained. 

The TOR is outlined in Section 4.0 and the completed document as approved by NEPA is 

presented in Appendix 4. 


23 


FIGURE 1.0: CEMENT JAMAICA LIMITED’s PROPOSED PLANT & QUARRY LOCATIONS 


24 


FIGURE 2.0: CEMENT JAMAICA LIMITED’s PROPOSED 30-MONTH PROJECT SCHEDULE 


25 


2.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION 

Cement Jamaica Limited (CJL) proposes to erect and operate a new cement plant at the existing 

Port Esquivel Industrial Complex. The project is estimated to cost $340 million USD. As shown 

in FIGURE 2.0, a 30-month schedule is anticipated for construction after which the serviceable 

lifetime of the plant is expected to be 50 years. Ultimately, a 24-month decommissioning period 

is expected which will include re-vegetation of the limestone and clay quarries. 

The main characteristics of the project are: 

• Constructions of a nominal 5,000 ton per day cement manufacturing plant. Construction 

and commissioning is expected to be completed by 2013 (30 months) and will be 

undertaken by one of the world’s leading cement equipment suppliers in an EPC 

(Engineer, Procure, Construct) contract model. The cement plant will be designed with 

the following modern technology to ensure environmental responsibility and 

sustainability in compliance with Guidelines for CO2 Emissions and Specific Fuel 

Consumption issued by the Inter-American Development Bank: 

o 5-Stage Preheater with Low Pressure Cyclones 

o Modern Low NOX Calciner 

o Modern High-Efficiency Grate Cooler 

o Modern Low NOX Kiln Burner with capability to burn alternative fuels for lower CO2 

emissions 

o Vertical Roller Mill Technology for Cement Grinding for significantly lower power 

consumption 

• Associated with the development of the cement plant will be the construction of a 9 MW 

cogeneration power plant. The cogeneration power plant will use waste heat from the 

cement plant’s pyro-processing system to generate power. The plant’s remaining power 

and utility requirements will be provided by a new 45 MW coal-fired power plant. This 

captive power plant will leverage the technological developments that have led to cleaner 

coal technologies that are able to increase their efficiency plant (i.e. to increase the 

amount of energy gained from each ton of coal) and to significantly decrease its air 

emissions (specifically sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and nitrogen oxides). Coal will 

be imported to reduce Jamaica’s demand for oil and to eliminate CJL’s dependence on 

Jamaica Public Service (JPS) for power supply. Again, the work will be undertaken 

mainly by a specialist equipment supplier from China in an EPC contract model. 

• The development of a limestone quarry and the sourcing and transportation of clay for 

existing clay quarries to supply the major raw materials for the production process. 

• Transport of large volumes of raw and finished materials as follows: 

o Clay will be transported from within a radius of 20 kilometers to the limestone quarry 

at Rose Hall at a rate of 1,700 tons per day. 


26 


o Construction of a new 1.5 kilometer haul road from the Old Harbour Main Road in 

the vicinity of Bodles Crescent to the limestone quarry at Rose Hall primarily for use 

by 20-ton trucks hauling clay to the limestone quarry. Crushed Limestone and Clay 

(combined) will be transported via a 2.0 kilometer overland belt conveyor from the 

limestone quarry at Rose Hall to the cement plant at the Port Esquivel Industrial 

Complex at a rate of 8,000 tons per day. 

o Raw Coal from the existing Port Esquivel to the new cement plant via a 3.5 kilometer 

existing road (Port Esquivel Road) at a rate of 30,000 tons per month. 

o Red Mud will be transported via existing rail facilities to the cement plant at the Port 

Esquivel Industrial Complex from Mandeville and/or Ewarton at a rate of 375 tons 

per day. 

o Gypsum will be transported 40 kilometers to the cement plant by truck or barge from 

an existing gypsum quarry located near Rockfort, at a rate of 340 tons per day. 

o Pozzolana will be transported from the existing Port Esquivel to the new cement plant 

via a 3.5 kilometer existing road (Windalco Road) at a rate of 35,000 tons per month. 

o Cement will be transported from the new cement plant via truck or rail via the 

existing 3.5 kilometer Windalco Road at a rate of 4,300 tons per day. 

o Cement will be exported from Jamaica (using Windalco’s existing port facilities at 

Port Esquivel) to the Caribbean Region, United States, and Canada at a rate of 

140,000 tons per month. 

o Cement will be supplied to Jamaica’s construction industry (using the Old Harbour 

Main Road to Highway 2000 interchange) at a rate of 1,600 tons per day. 

• Transport of large volumes of materials along these routes as well as using the 

established transport infrastructure. Transport will be along roads, using heavy goods 

vehicles. 

• Finally, also associated with the development will be the construction of a power line (0.8 

kilometer in length) to connect the cement plant to the existing national power grid. 

Note: the plant will be connected to the national power grid, however, the 

cogeneration/captive coal-fired power plant will be fully capable of meeting 100% of the 

cement plant’s needs. This will help to improve the power generation shortage situation 

in Jamaica. 

2.1 Location of the Proposed Development 

The cement plant and limestone quarry will be situated on two (2) parcels of land in 

relatively close proximity (2 kilometers) to each other. The parcels of land are 

strategically located within a region rich with limestone and zoned for mining with easy 

access to major roads, rail, and the Windalco port facility at Port Esquivel. 


27 


2.1.1 Proposed Plant Site Location 

The proposed plant site is located approximately 3 kilometers east of Freetown and 5 

kilometers south-southeast of Old Harbour, Clarendon, Jamaica. As shown FIGURE 

2.1.1 , the site is bordered to the north Highway 2000 and bordered to the west by the 

Port Esquivel Road. 

FIGURE 2.1.1: MAP OF CEMENT JAMAICA LIMITED’s PROPOSED LAND DEVELOPMENT 

2.1.2 Proposed Limestone Quarry Location 

The proposed site of the limestone quarry is on lands located at Rose Hall in Clarendon 

near the border of St. Catherine adjacent to Freetown and the Bodles Agricultural 

facilities. Please see FIGURE 2.1.2 (Valuation Reference No. 20702007003). 

The project area for the limestone quarry straddles the eastern border of the parishes of 

Clarendon with that of St. Catherine approximately 5 kilometers west of the town of Old 

Harbour (GR 237 921.72E; 142 941.73N). It is centered at the false grid reference (GR) 

of 234 000E; 142 000N on the 1:50,000 metric topographic Sheet 17 (JD69 Series) (Fig 

1). 


28 


All grid references used for the remainder of this report are following those on Map 1 which is 

adapted from the 1:50,000 Sheet 17 topographic JD69 series published by the Jamaican Survey 

Department. The project area is rectangular approximately 2.88 km2 in area. 

FIGURE 2.1.2: MAP OF CEMENT JAMAICA LIMITED’s PROPOSED LIMESTONE QUARRY DEVELOPMENT 

Limestone is Jamaica’s most abundant mineral. Limestone deposits account for 65% of 

the island by weight, and 85% of its surface coverage. High quality deposits exist – 98% 

CaCO3 high purity grade – however, 80% of existing limestone quarries in Jamaica are 

producing less than 100,000 metric tons per year. Currently, only 250,000 metric tons of 

limestone is exported annually because most of the limestone quarries are landlocked. 

Nevertheless, Jamaica is arguably the easiest location in the Latin American and the 

Caribbean region to access a wide variety of consistent quality limestone aggregate. 

Moreover, many of Jamaica’s limestone deposits exist at or close to the surface which 

makes for easy extraction. 

The preliminary mining permit for the Limestone Quarry at Rose Hall is presented in 

APPENDIX 2. 


29 


2.2 Overview of Cement Production 

The proposed plant will produce cement from solid raw materials; limestone, clay and red 

mud which is a by-product of the bauxite bayer process. The raw materials are heated to 

a very high temperature (1450 ⁰C) in the pyro-processing system via rotary kiln, causing 

thermal reactions which produce cement clinker. This clinker is then cooled and 

pulverized to produce the fine power (cement) for sale. A Process Flow Diagram 

illustrating the cement manufacturing process is presented in Figure 2.2. A brief 

summary of each stage of the production process is as follows: 

2.2.1 Raw Material Extraction: 

Extraction of the raw materials is from local quarries. The main raw materials are 

limestone, clay, and red mud (red mud is a bauxite tailing). The limestone and clay will 

be crushed together within the boundary of the Limestone Quarry and then transported 

approximately 2.0 kilometers, as a mix, to the cement plant by overland conveyor. In 

order to prevent dust emissions during the transport of extracted materials, the following 

techniques will be employed: The overland conveyor will be covered; a simple, linear 

layout will be applied to minimize the number of transfer points; cleaning of return belts 

in the conveyor belt systems; storage of crushed and pre-blended raw materials in 

covered or closed bays. 

2.2.2 Raw Material Preparation: 

Once the raw materials have arrived at the cement plant they will be stored separately 

from the other additives inside a covered storage building. Crushed materials, such as 

coal, will be stored in large covered stock piles. The process of crushing, stacking, and 

reclaiming for the purpose of feeding into the next stage of the process also achieves raw 

material ‘pre-blending’. The raw materials are then fed in to separate feed bins. Red 

mud is a waste product which will be used to make cement clinker and this component 

will be delivered to site from external sources by rail and then stored in covered stock 

piles. This raw material will be added to the limestone/clay mix in relatively small 

quantities (

30 


ensure particulate emissions below 30 mg/Nm 3 including all other point sources, such as 

the clinker cooling, cement grinding, and coal grinding, in accordance with industry 

standards. 

FIGURE 2.2: OVERVIEW OF THE CEMENT MANUFACTURING PROCESS 

2.2.3 Solid Fuel Preparation: 

The production of cement requires the use of a significant amount of energy. In order to 

provide this energy, conventional solid fuels, such as coal, are burned in the pyroprocessing 

system described above. It is also foreseen to burn waste oil and other byproduct 

from oil refining process, petroleum coke, and possibly other sources of 

alternative fuels as well. The conventional fuels (coal) will be transported to the cement 

plant by truck from Port Esquivel. Before firing in the pyro-processing system, the fuels, 

just like the raw materials, have to be pulverized into a fine powder prior to feeding into 

the cement manufacturing process. 

2.2.3 Pyro-process (Kiln System): 

The raw materials are added and then heated to high temperatures; the cement “clinker” 

is formed as a result of thermal reaction. The cement plant will use the most modern and 

efficient design for undertaking this process. The raw materials are first preheated by 5cyclone 

stages using the heat from the exhaust gases from the rotary kiln. From the 5stage 

pre-heater/pre-calciner, the pre-calcined raw meal material mix enters the large, 


31 


rotary kiln where the remaining fuel is burned and the final high temperature chemical 

reactions take place. The produced clinker is then cooled and heat is recuperated. All of 

the waste heat is used to generate power by the cogeneration system. The clinker is 

dispatched by deep bucket pan conveyor to the clinker silos prior to the clinker grinding 

operations. 

2.2.3 Cement Grinding and Storage: 

The clinker is ground with additives (e.g. gypsum, limestone, pozzolana, including flyash 

from the coal power plant) to meet the quality requirements of the final cement. In the 

cement mill, grinding is carried out in a closed circuit arrangement. The system consists 

of one roller mill for significant power savings in comparison to three tube mills (ball 

mills). The finished product (cement) is collected by bag filters and then transported to 

cement storage silos prior to bulk loading, bagging and dispatch. 

2.2.4 Bagging and Dispatch: 

Part of the cement will be sold in bulk and will be transported in specialized bulk 

transporters. The rest will be bagged on site at a bagging plant, before being dispatched 

and sold to customers. Approximately 75% cement produced will be exported, and the 

remainder will be sold to customers in the local construction industry. 

2.2.5 Process Controls: 

The cement plant will be controlled by a Distributed Control System (DCS) from the 

Central Control Room. Process variables in all manufacturing departments will be 

continuously monitored in order to regulate and optimize cement production, i.e. from 

raw material storage to cement storage, packing and loading. However, manual 

intervention is warranted during process upsets, equipment malfunction or emergency 

conditions. Process temperatures and pressures are continuously monitored for any 

abnormal conditions to ensure that any abnormalities can be detected and rectified. 

Operation of the pyro-processing system receives close attention since product quality 

will be largely determined in the kiln. At every stage of the cement manufacturing, the 

raw and intermediate materials as well as the end products will be analyzed at the plant's 

laboratory to ensure that they conform to set quality standards on a consistent basis. The 

laboratory is equipped for testing of major process related materials, sample preparation, 

chemical analysis and physical testing. 

2.2.6 Pollution Controls: 

Pollution control measures and safeguards are key features in the operation of any 

industrial plant. The pollution control measures for the project were selected after 

identifying emissions of various pollutants, particularly air pollutants from the different 

stages of cement manufacturing. 


32 


2.2.6.1 Air Pollution Controls: Air pollutants generated during the operation of the 

Project consist primarily of particulates from quarrying, raw, and finished materials as 

well as fuel combustion by-products. Pulse jet type bag filters and bag houses will be 

employed as de-dusting equipment to control major emissions in the Kiln, Raw Mill, 

Grate Cooler, Coal Mill and the Cement Mill. For other emissions, a sufficient 

number of standardized bag filters will be installed at all transfer points at hopper, 

bins or silos as well as dust producing machinery (crushers, loading equipment, 

conveyors etc.) for de-dusting purposes. Modern technology burners, dosing systems 

for fuel and kiln feed, and kiln control systems are used for the plant processes to 

control emissions (NOx, SOx, CO). Cyclones will also be installed to capture 

materials entrained in airflows, which are routed through principal process units (e.g. 

milling and pyro-processing stages). They are considered as pre-treatment recovery 

and recycling device, and assists in enhancing the efficiency of both bag house and 

bag filter systems. 

2.2.6.2 Water Pollution Controls: The Project adopts a modern, dry process of 

manufacturing cement. The principal effluent released from the clinker production 

and cement manufacturing process is equipment cooling water, which is innocuous. 

Moreover, apart from the cooling water used during the raw mill down condition to 

protect the bag filter, the process water will be completely reused via recirculation 

through water treatment systems. Domestic wastewater generated from toilets and 

the canteen is estimated to be at 225 m 3 /d. All wastewater is routed to the wastewater 

treatment plant prior to disposal. The treated effluent will comply with NEPA 

Standard for sewage effluent. Overflow cooling waters, tanker washings and floor 

washings will be collected and conveyed by open drains. These process wastewaters 

will be channeled into a solids 'gravity' separator then to the wastewater treatment 

plant prior to discharge. During the peak of construction activities (i.e. the maximum 

demand), the fresh water requirement will be 1,200 persons x 100 kg 

water/person/day =120 tons of fresh water. 

2.2.6.3 Noise Controls: Most cement projects generate significant, intermittent 

noise levels during blasting of the limestone within the quarry. A unique feature of 

the limestone found at Rose Hall, however, is that much of the limestone may be 

quarried by “ripping” techniques which will significantly decrease the frequency of 

blasting. Therefore, the principal noise emission sources will be associated with 

motors, fans, blowers, crushers, air compressor, and tube mills in the coal-fired power 

plant. In-plant shielding of noise emissions will be adopted to ensure that noise levels 

at the boundaries are within the regulatory limits (See TABLE 5.2 which 

demonstrates that the cement plant will be fully compliant with both IFC and NEPA 


33 


Standards for noise emissions). All equipment to be employed for the plant will be 

designed to operate with low noise levels, and will not exceed the maximum 

allowable noise level for the surrounding receiving land use. 

2.2.6.4 Drainage from Quarry to Avert Flooding: Drainage will be provided to 

take storm water into nearby river courses to avert flooding arising from changes to 

the topography of areas being quarried. 

2.2.6.5 Access to the Plant and Quarry: Access will be sought along the local road 

from the most western end of the Bodles facilities. This access point will prevent any 

disruption of the adjoining local residential communities, while providing easy access 

to the public, and large traversing from either ends of the country along the Highway 

2000. 

2.3 Manpower 

The Project will require manpower in both of its project components: the quarry component 

and the cement plant component during both the construction and operational phases. Apart 

from the workers provided by the EPC Contractor, approximately 300 local workers will be 

involved in the construction phase of the project. During the operation phase of the project, 

the total manpower requirement is estimated to be 450 people. Indirectly, it is estimated that 

1,000 people will be employed in cement-related industries as a result of this project. All 

recruited staff will be given appropriate training in order to educate them on the specific job 

tasks to be performed; safety procedures; and the concepts of quarrying and cement 

manufacturing. 

2.4 Project Economics 

The total project value is estimated at $340 million USD. Development of the project is 

planned to be completed within 30 months. Employment emanating from the operations will 

be in three phases, namely: 

2.4.1 Construction phase: Over 300 persons will be employed over a 24 month period. 

2.4.2 Operations phase: Approximately 450 persons comprising administrative, 

technical, and non-technical persons will be employed permanently and immediately 

after completion of the plant. These include engineers, chemists, computer operators, 

accountants, administrative assistances, secretaries, etc. The value of the project to the 

economy excludes the spin-off benefits affixed to the Project for related downstream and 

upstream industries as well as supporting sectors during the construction and operation 

phases of the project. 


34 


2.5 Proposed Community Development Plan to benefit Socio- Economic Environment 

Several positive Community Development initiatives will be implemented in conjunction 

with the establishment of the Cement Plant. 

2.5.1 Creation of a school for Jamaican children with Autism 

During the construction phase of the cement plant an advanced education school, 

focusing on the treatment and education of children with autism, will be created to 

promote awareness and equal opportunity for Jamaican residents that is not currently 

available. This educational center will be built and funded by CJL and run in partnership 

with the University of the West Indies in Jamaica and George Brown College in Canada 

(see APPENDIX 11A for Draft MOU with partners). This educational center will 

provide a full day, twelve-month program for students starting at the age of three. The 

said school will have an early intervention class for young students aged 3-5, primary 

classes with students aged 5-12, and secondary classes with students aged 13-18. These 

classes will provide intensive 1:1 Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) training, which is 

known to be the best way of treating and educating children with autism. 

The program and school will draw upon the world-renowned programs taught at New 

Haven Learning Center in Toronto, Canada. New Haven has become the prototype for 

how to best understand the disorder and treat children who are affected. Children's health 

professionals consider the New Haven Learning Centre to be the "gold standard in 

autistic treatment and education". Employment opportunities and training will be 

created for the supply of local teachers and support staff, which is expected to be 

indefinite. Further information on the school for Jamaican children with autism can be 

found in APPENDIX 11B 

2.5.2 Establishment of a Behavioral Science Technology Programme at the 

University of the West Indies 

A Behavioral Science Technology program will be set-up at the University of the West 

Indies to support regional development through education by facilitating the training of 

students in applied behavior analysis and behavioral intervention. Graduates of the 

program are typically employed in a variety of settings with diverse clinical populations 

of all ages who frequently present challenging behaviors, including but not limited to 

individuals with autism. Graduates may work to develop and implement behavioral 

interventions designed to manage challenging behaviors and/or teach a variety of skills. 

Graduates may find employment in schools, hospitals, residential and treatment facilities 

and rehabilitation and vocational agencies. This program helps to support regional 

development through education. 


35 


2.5.2 Creation of a Hybrid-Learning Platform at the University of the West Indies 

(specifically for the Behavioral Science Technology program) 

The University of the West Indies will employ a hybrid approach to instructor led 

classroom based education, which will provide a competitive educational advantage in 

the global marketplace. The platform will provide both in-class instructor led education 

along with parallel online learning paths. As part of the online education students will 

have access to classroom videos, presentations, MP3 Audio of the lectures, classroom 

presentations, quizzes and a community forum including blogs dedicated to Applied 

Behavior Analysis (ABA) training that connects students throughout the world - (all 

online tools are specifically designed to maximize the Internet connection and speed in 

the students’ geographical region). 

The course work will be secure and compliant with Sharable Content Object Reference 

Model (SCORM) standards. SCORM is a collection of standards and specifications for 

web-based e-learning. This unique platform will establish the University of the West 

Indies as a leader in integrated education throughout the global arena. Further 

information on hybrid learning platform can be found in APPENDIX 11C. 

2.5.3 Creation of a Holiday Resort for Children and Families of Children with 

Autism 

A holiday resort will be established in Jamaica that caters to families of children with 

autism from Jamaica, North America and around the world. The resort will promote 

regional integration by forging links among countries with autistic citizens – preliminary 

research shows that there are no holiday resorts of this structure in existence. The resort 

will include the same amenities a typical all-inclusive resort has with the added feature of 

1:1 care for children with autism. This initiative creates an entire new tourist market for 

resort providers and local Jamaican businesses, as families of children with autism find it 

difficult to take proper holidays. Additional employment opportunities will be created 

for the supply of local support staff and teachers, which is expected to last indefinitely. 

2.6 Reasons Why the Cement Plant is Needed 

During the period 2000 to 2007, the global demand for cement increased at a pace that 

resulted in increased capacity utilization, product shortages, and rising prices. The increase 

in the demand for cement in China and the rest of the far-east was most significant and 

driven by massive investments in the public and private sector. In the USA, cement 

consumption reached unprecedented levels in 2005 and 2006, with demand surpassing 127 

million metric tons in each of those years and with imports accounting for over 25% of total 

consumption. Within the Caribbean Community, the demand for cement between 2005 and 

2007 was also at elevated levels due to heightened preparation for the Cricket World Cup 

(CWC) in 2007 as well as continued investments in the Tourism and Housing Sectors. 


36 


In the Caribbean Common Market (CARICOM), Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados are the 

major cement producing countries, with the latter two having significant levels of exports. 

All three cement plants in these countries are owned and operated by the TCL Group which, 

for years, has benefited from the protection of the Common External Tariff (CET). In all 

three countries, the CET applicable is higher than the standard 15%, but capped by the World 

Trade Organization’s bound rate of 60%. The application of the CET has made cement 

imports uneconomical in most instances and has resulted in virtual monopolistic conditions 

on the island of Jamaica. In recent years, supply shortages and rising cement prices have 

forced many CARICOM countries to seek CET waivers up to pre-determined quotas to 

enable the importation of cheaper cement, particularly from China, Colombia, Venezuela and 

the Dominican Republic. These imports are currently estimated at 1.1 million metric tons per 

annum. The import of cement by CARICOM member states from non-TCL sources are 

significant and highlight the degree to which distributors are seeking better and cheaper 

alternatives. 

Cement Jamaica Limited (CJL) visualizes that the Caribbean market (including the 

reconstruction of Haiti as well as the potential for exports to the United States and Canada) 

has great opportunities. Therefore, CJL is proposing the establishment of a 1.5 million ton 

clinker per annum, state of the art, cost effective, environmentally-friendly cement plant to be 

located in the southern coast of Jamaica that will have full access to water, limestone, 

gypsum and other natural deposits required to produce Portland Cement. CJL has already 

concluded significant take or pay contracts with strong and reputable users and distributors of 

cement to cover a significant portion of its proposed production. This will serve to minimize 

CJL’s production risks and effectively manage the company’s profitability. 

Jamaica is estimated to have 150 billion metric tons of recoverable limestone, the primary 

raw material in producing cement. In fact, limestone is Jamaica’s most abundant mineral. 

Limestone deposits in Jamaica account for 65% of the island by weight, and 85% of its 

surface coverage. High quality deposits exist – 98% CaCO3 high purity grade – however, 

80% of existing limestone quarries in Jamaica are producing less than 100,000 metric tons 

per year. In fact, only 250,000 metric tons of limestone is currently being exported. 

Nevertheless, Jamaica is arguably the easiest location in the Latin American and the 

Caribbean region to access a wide variety of consistent, quality limestone aggregate. 

Moreover, many of Jamaica’s limestone deposits exist at or close to the surface which makes 

for easy extraction. The abundance of limestone and other raw materials, including waste 

materials such as red mud, makes Jamaica an ideal landscape for the location of cement 

plants. The Government of Jamaica (GOJ) has encouraged investments in establishing a 

competing cement plant to Jamaica’s current, sole cement manufacturer. 


37 


In a key policy decision, the GOJ applied for and obtained approval for the suspension of the 

40% CET in May 2006 for duty free cement imports. The waiver of the CET has recently 

been in effect for a quota of up to 240,000 metric tons. Since 2005, cement imports into 

Jamaica have been significant and although Jamaica’s current, sole cement manufacturing 

company recently expanded its cement capacity, there remain several importers. Developers 

believe a competing cement factory is important and necessary given the need to adequately 

supply the market with high quality and price competitive cement in order to avoid any 

recurrences of the cement supply shortages that damaged Jamaica’s Construction Sector in 

2005 and 2006. 

There are a number of significant developments planned for Jamaica, specifically in the 

Tourism Sector, which include Harmony Cove, Palmyra Condominiums, the Negril 

Peninsula project, Celebrations Jamaica, and other hotel investments from Spanish 

Companies. In total, over 30,000 rooms were planned to be built during the period 2005- 

2015, with over 20,000 of these rooms slated for development during the period 2009-2015. 

Jamaica’s abundant natural resources, especially high quality and easily extractable 

limestone, make the island arguably the best location in Caribbean region for cement plants. 

Jamaica is one of the largest economies in the Caribbean and it is therefore somewhat ironic 

that the island currently boasts only one (1) cement manufacturing plant and exports only 

250,000 tons of limestone annually. The project described within will help Jamaica to 

reverse the flat to moderate economic performances of prior years and start to achieve 

significant economic growth because it will have a favorable impact on all sectors of the 

economy. The ability of the GOJ to improve tax revenue collections as a result of this 

project will help the GOJ to address Jamaica’s growing debt and to provide additional 

resources for investment in public infrastructure. As a result of this project, it is expected 

that tax revenues from GCT (General Consumption Tax) and Income Tax will generate 

approximately $75 million USD annually for the GOJ. 


38 


3.0 ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVE 

A description of how the proposed project relates to the overall strategy/policy for the 

applicable technical area (i.e. the basis and rationale for the project) has been presented in 

Section 2.0 (Project Description and Technical Basis), Section 2.1 (Location), 2.4 

(Project Economics), and 2.5 (Why the Cement Plant is Needed). In comparison, Section 

3.0 presents a systematic comparison of feasible project alternatives, both in terms of both 

the project (i.e., technology, design, operation, etc.) and site selection. The assessment of 

project alternatives and site selection must specifically include environmental and social 

factors and include a no action (i.e., without the project) scenario. 

The alternative assessment should be quantitative and expressed in economical terms, as 

feasible. The assessment must clearly state and justify the selected alternative. This report 

also compares various alternatives by which the project could be realized and seeks to 

identify the one which represents the best combination of economic and environmental costs 

and benefits. Alternatives include location as well as approach to design, process, and 

construction technology as well as the country chosen. 

Alternative Actions: 

The main alternatives to the development of the new cement plant can be summarized as 

follows: 

3.1 Do Nothing Alternative: 

The ‘do nothing’ alternative means that Jamaica will continue to have only one (1) 

cement manufacturing plant on the island in spite of Jamaica’s abundant natural resources 

and especially high quality and easily extractable limestone reserves which make the 

island arguably the best location in Caribbean region for cement plants. This singlesource 

alternative not only fails to address Jamaica’s needs to increase exports of natural 

resources, but could also very easily result in the cement supply shortages and cement 

quality issues that previously damaged Jamaica’s Construction Sector. As a minimum, 

the virtual monopoly will cause cement prices to be higher than what they would be 

otherwise. Increased prices for the basic building materials (cement and fuel) 

incrementally increase other costs such as power and food prices. 

The ease of availability to basic building materials is needed to further develop Jamaica’s 

economy. Otherwise, it becomes increasingly difficult for developing nations to 

withstand the rising costs of basic necessities such as fuel. The ‘do nothing’ alternative 

does not seem plausible given the legitimacy of the proposed project rationale and the 

benefits to be derived. For example, ‘doing nothing’ would mean that the local 

environment would remain in its present condition, degraded by local land pressures. 

Choosing this option would mean that none of the aforementioned economic benefits 


39 


would be realized by Jamaica. In sum, there will be no economic growth as a result of 

the cement plant development, Jamaica’s trade deficit would not improve, and Jamaica 

would remain susceptible to high cement prices and possible lapses in cement quality. 

3.2 Project Implementation Options 

Several options were considered for the implementation of the project including country 

selection, location selection, site selection and technology selection and these are all 

discussed below. 

3.2.1 Increase Availability of Low Cost Imports: A waiver of the CET on cement 

imports is really a ‘band-aid’ approach because it does not help Jamaica with its 

trade deficit. This is a particular injustice because Jamaica is rich in all of the 

raw materials (limestone, clay, and red mud) needed to manufacture cement and 

to actually become a exporter of cement and limestone. 

3.2.2 Project Site Options: Given that limestone typically represents 80% of the raw 

materials from which cement is manufactured, the availability of limestone is 

the primary criterion for determining potential sites for a new cement plant. 

Numerous site options were considered over many years to identify the most 

suitable location of the new cement plant. Therefore, other key factors such as 

the proximity of the limestone reserves to the tourist industry were deemed to be 

nearly as important as the proximity of the cement plant to the limestone 

reserves. These include accessibility (to the site), human population density, 

housing density, ecological community, and the extent of works required to 

make such sites fully functional. The main alternatives to the location of the 

new cement plant can be summarized as follows: 

3.2.2.1 Locate the Limestone Quarry at Crescent Park Pen: A location of 

limestone quarry in the area known as the Crescent Park Pen, which has 

sufficient reserves of limestone, was considered. This location was 

ultimately rejected due to issues associated with local infrastructure, 

equipment, and materials transport. 

3.2.2.2 Locate the Cement Plant Adjacent to Crescent Park Pen: The most ideal 

location for the location of the cement plant near the limestone quarry of 

Crescent Park Pen is the old bauxite plant. This location was determined 

to be the most convenient location in close proximity to the limestone 

reserves and the availability of an existing loading site for a belt conveyer 

that runs to the terminal located at Ocho Rios Port. However, this 

location, while very convenient, was rejected because of its potential 

impact and close proximity to the Tourism Industry of Ocho Rios. It 


40 


would require the rebuilding of the 7 kilometer long belt conveyor belt and 

it would represent an encroachment into the Tourist Area. Given the 

economic importance of the Tourism Industry to Jamaica’s economy, the 

main alternatives for the location of the cement plant were confined to the 

industrial areas along the southern coast of Jamaica which have been 

specifically targeted for development by the Government of Jamaica and 

the Port of Kingston. 

3.2.2.3 Locate the Cement Plant Adjacent to Longville Park: The so-called “Plant 

Site A” adjacent to the Longville Park was thoroughly investigated. 

However, it was ultimately rejected due to its environmental and social 

impacts on the existing fish ponds, farms, and the newly developed 

residential area. It was clearly identified that this location would have 

greater negative impacts as a result of more significant industrial 

development in the quieter residential and agricultural areas. 

3.2.2.4 In addition, it is estimated that more extensive and expensive piling would 

be required for any heavy equipment located in close proximity to the 

existing fish ponds. Finally, it was ultimately rejected by CJL because the 

irregular shape of the available land made it impossible for the EPC 

Contractor to layout the equipment on the available land area of 101 acres 

in such a way to allow for the future possibility of the installation of a 

second kiln line. 

3.2.3 Technology Options: Any discussion of the technology included as part of this 

project is considered to be ‘state of the art’ in terms of energy efficiency and its 

design makes use of a waste product (red mud) that is transformed into a usable 

product. Several alternative raw materials were considered as follows: 

3.2.3.1 Shale: Shale was considered for use as one of the raw materials for 

cement production. The shale quarry is in Cambridge Hill area, which is 

about 80 kilometers away to cement plant site via Highway 2000 and 

crossing several big residential communities and towns, like Kingston 

City, Harbour View, Old Harbor, etc. In addition, the shale chemical 

analysis revealed that the available shale was high in alkali content. In 

order to produce the low alkali cement, a by-pass design would have been 

required. The result of the bypass would have been a reduction in fuel 

efficiency and an increase in CO2 emissions. The shale was rejected due 

to the issues associated with high alkali and long transport. 


41 


3.2.3.2 Iron Ore: Iron ore was also considered during our initial feasibility 

studies. However, iron ore would have to be imported from abroad since 

Jamaica has no significant iron resources. In addition, in our discussions 

with Windalco, they were concerned with the potential contamination to 

Bauxite during the “import operations”. Therefore, the possibility to 

import iron ore via Kingston port was evaluated. Ultimately, the design of 

using iron ore was dismissed due to issues related with material transports 

and the resultant environmental impact. Moreover, one of the key 

objectives of this project is to increase Jamaica’s exports and to make 

Jamaica less dependent upon imports such as iron ore. 

3.2.3.3 Red Mud: Ultimately, the iron ore was substituted with red mud to 

address the need for iron input to the cement manufacturing process. This 

was environmentally attractive because red mud is widely available in 

Jamaica because it is a waste produce (tailings) from the alumina 

manufacturing process. Site visits and discussions have taken place with 

Windalco as a source for this waste material. Positive discussions have 

been had with Windalco which confirm the viability of transporting red 

mud from the alumina plants at Mandeville and Ewarton via rail. The use 

of red mud will improve the environmental impact by using the tailings of 

bauxite industry. 

3.2.3.4 Fly Ash: 100% of the coal burning ash collected from coal power plant 

will be used as a part of raw materials for cement production in the project 

design. This will eliminate the ash disposal as waste material and avoid 

the installation of holding ponds which could have negative impacts on the 

environment. 

3.2.3.5 Effluent: In the plant design, the waste water in the cement production 

process, such as cooling water for machinery, will be fully recycled. There 

will be no effluent discharge from the production process. 

3.2.3.6 Power Distribution: In the original design, Jamaica Public Service (JPS) 

was to supply power to the cement plant operation. However, there is a 

shortage of power generation capacity in Jamaica so this would have 

further aggravated a tense situation in the local power supply. Therefore, 

the power distribution system has been redesigned to make CJL selfsufficient. 

The proposed design now considers the planned installation of 

a 9 MW Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) power plant and 45 MW coal-fired 

power plant which meet the recommended guidelines of the Inter- 


42 


3.2.4 Process Options: 

American Development Bank for fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions. A 

key design feature of the proposed system is to utilize the waste hot gas 

from the cement production facility to generate power via cogeneration. 

3.2.4.1 Design of Grinding Mill(s): The grinding efficiency of a ball mill is only 

half as efficient as a vertical roller mill, therefore, for this project, CJL has 

chosen vertical roller mills for the following process options: 

3.2.4.1.1 Finish Grinding: Three (3) ball mills for finish grinding were 

originally chosen based on the simplicity of design and operation, 

with consideration given to the skill level for local operators. 

However, ball mills result in significantly higher specific power 

consumption (minimum power savings 10 kWh/ton of cement). In 

addition, the noise level of a vertical roller mill is significantly 

lower than that of a ball mill. Therefore, the three (3) ball mills 

have been replaced with one (1) roller mill for an efficient 

operation and lower environment impact. 

3.2.4.1.2 Raw Grinding: Modern raw grinding systems employ vertical 

roller mills almost exclusively over ball mill systems nowadays. 

This is because is because of the ability of a vertical roller mill to 

grind, dry, and classify - all in one compact machine for simplicity 

of layout and construction cost savings. Jamaica has a tropical 

climate with periods of high rainfall; therefore, the raw materials 

will likely have high moisture content during these periods of time. 

Not only will this create problems for being able to dry the raw 

materials in a ball mill system, but here again, a minimum power 

savings of 3 kWh/ton raw meal can be realized by choosing one (1) 

vertical roller mill over one or more ball mills. Another 

consideration is the use of a high pressure roller press for raw 

grinding for improved power savings over ball mill systems and 

similar power consumption to vertical roller mills. However, the 

use of a high pressure roller press is only possible when the raw 

materials are very dry. This will not be the case because Jamaica is 

a tropical environment. Therefore, the use of high pressure roller 

press for this project was dismissed early. 


43 


3.2.4.1.3 Solid Fuel Grinding: The solid fuel grinding system sometimes 

lends itself to favor ball mills over vertical roller mills in spite of 

the power savings (about 5 kWh/ton solid fuel). This is because 

capacity (tons per hour) is very small for the fuels in comparison to 

the finished cement. However, often times, solid fuels are also 

high in moisture content (>10% moisture) which favors the use of 

a vertical roller mills, again, because of the ability to grind, dry, 

and classify the product – all in one compact machine. 

Nevertheless, ball mills may be preferred in cases where the solid 

fuel has to be ground very fine. This is most common when the 

use of alternative fuels such as petroleum coke are considered 

because the volatile content of the fuel is very low and, therefore, 

the petroleum coke has to be ground very fine in order to promote 

complete combustion. Ultimately, vertical roller mill technology 

was chosen for the cement plant and ball mills were chosen for the 

power plant for this project. 

3.2.5 Construction Technology Options: The proposed project site is 

exposed to three of the main natural hazards that affect Jamaica as 

elaborated below. The highest structure in the cement plant is the preheater 

tower at approximately 120 meters in height. In this respect, 

concrete construction will be applied in the foundation and lower level 

of the pre-heater tower. The middle and top levels of the pre-heater 

tower are expected to use structural steel. Alternatives, such as the use 

of fewer pre-heater stages, to lower the height of the structure would 

compromise, unfortunately, negatively impact the fuel efficiency of the 

plant and therefore the increase environmental emissions. Therefore, 

good engineering practices need to be implemented within the context of 

the preferred technology. 

A thorough investigation of construction technology options will therefore 

depend on sound engineering design as well as field investigations (such 

as weather, climate, soil bearing capacity, the availability of construction 

materials locally and price, the availability of local lifting/crane 

equipment, and local labor skills). During the design phase, the EPC 

Contractor will choose the construction technology which best meets 

CJL’s project schedule, safety, and quality as well as the economic benefit 

to the local community with due consideration to the following natural 

hazards: 


44 


3.2.5.1 Seismic Activity: Earthquake hazard zones for Jamaica were determined 

over the period from 1692 to the present time and shows that the Kingston 

area lies within the zone of highest probability of high intensity of 

earthquakes in Jamaica. Data from the Earthquake Unit at the University 

of the West Indies indicates that the Kingston area has an average 

exposure rate of 7 occurrences per century. With proper design, the 

threshold for damage can be increased for well-built structures. Alluvium 

and engineered soils that exist at the project site are highly susceptible to 

ground shaking and tend to amplify the effects of ground motion through 

earthquakes. To reduce the earthquake hazard, CJL’s facility will be 

designed to withstand the ground motions expected. This will involve 

detailed site investigations and modeling. 

3.2.5.2 Hurricanes: Hurricanes produce heavy rainfall, high winds, and storm 

surge, all of which have the potential to cause damage and dislocation at 

the Carib Cement plant. The high velocity winds can cause structural 

damage. This will be addressed by proper engineering design and 

implementation of a maintenance program by CJL. 

3.2.5.3 Coastal Flooding: The site is susceptible to storm surge produced by 

hurricanes that have the potential to cause severe coastal erosion and 

inundation. Therefore, the engineering design of the drainage systems for 

the plant site and quarries is particularly important. 

3.2.6 Country Options: CJL has concluded that Jamaica is the best available 

location in the Caribbean region for the presence of a new cement plant 

for the following reasons: 

3.2.6.1 Jamaica’s abundant natural resources, especially high quality and easily 

extractable limestone, make the island arguably the best location in 

Caribbean region for cement plants. 

3.2.6.2 Jamaica currently only has one other cement manufacturing plant on the 

island. 

3.2.6.3 Jamaica has good infrastructure conditions: there are good transport 

infrastructure facilities, such as, rail system, national highways, deep 

water sea ports, etc. It is, therefore, ideal for cement distribution. 


45 


3.2.6.4 As a former British colony, Jamaica is an English speaking country for 

ease of communications for CJL’s Canadian parent company. In fact, 

owners of the Canadian parent company already have interests in 

Jamaica’s cement wholesale business. Jamaica also has good legal 

systems, municipal administration systems, and a stable and healthy 

democratic government. Jamaica is home to the largest university in 

Caribbean area – West Indies University - which provides a good 

education and scientific research base for leveraging the required human 

resources to design, construct, and operate a modern cement plant. 

3.2.6.5 Jamaica’s government has an open mind to encourage foreign investment 

and has recently implemented economic policies to attract overseas capital 

for local economic development. 

3.2.6.6 Jamaica is an island country and the third largest island in the West Indies. 

3.2.6.7 Jamaica has a stable government, economy, and banking system. 

3.2.6.8 Jamaica has a population of nearly 3 million persons. 

3.2.6.9 Jamaica has good diplomatic and economic relationships with Caribbean 

countries and plays a leading role within the Caribbean Community. 

3.2.6.10 Jamaica has a good industrial foundation as a result of the bauxite 

and alumina industries. Therefore, there are skillful technicians or 

workers trained in the mining and manufacturing industries who should be 

able to work in the cement manufacturing industry with adequate training. 


46 


4.0 TERMS OF REFERENCE 

The National Environmental and Planning Agency (NEPA), as a part of its permitting process, 

requires that projects of this nature conduct an EIA of the proposed development. 

EnviroPlanners Limited was contracted by Cement Jamaica Limited to conduct the study in 

accordance with the terms of reference approved by NEPA. An application was submitted for a 

development permit to the NEPA. The application was accompanied by Project Information 

Form (PIF) and supporting documentation. NEPA responded to that application with a request 

that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) be conducted on the proposed development, 

based on their review of the permit application. NEPA supplied Generic Terms of Reference and 

requested modification of these Terms of Reference (TOR) to be specific to the project. The 

modified Terms of Reference was submitted to NEPA for their approval and a successful 

response was received on January 7, 2010 as shown in APPENDIX 4. 

The Environmental Impact Assessment will provide a comprehensive evaluation of the site, in 

terms of predicted environmental impacts, needed mitigation strategies, potentially viable 

alternatives to the development proposed and all related legislation. 

The following issues related to the specific project site will be identified and given special 

consideration: 

4.1 Sites located within, adjacent to or in the vicinity of areas listed as protected (e.g. under 

the Wild Life Protection, Forest, Natural Resources Conservation Authority, Fishing 

Industry or Jamaica National Heritage Trust Acts or designated Ramsar Sites) or having 

protected species. 

4.2 The main issue(s) to be considered are determined by the statutes of the legislation or 

convention in question and what the convention speaks to. 

4.3 The impact of the development on the specific sensitivities of the protected area will be 

identified and be highlighted as is applicable (e.g. diversion of water flows, extraction of 

water, pollution). 

4.4 The Environmental Impact Assessment will include but not limited to the following: 

4.4.1 Provide a comprehensive description of the existing site proposed for 

mining operations and for the establishment of the Cement Plant. Detail 

the elements of the project, highlighting areas to be mined and the areas 

which are to be preserved in their existing state. 


47 


4.4.2 Identify the major environmental issues of concern through the 

presentation of baseline data which should include social and cultural 

considerations. Assess public perception of the proposed development. 

4.4.3 Outline the Legislations and Regulations relevant to the project. 

4.4.4 Predict the likely impacts of the development on the environment, 

including direct, indirect and cumulative impacts, and indicate their 

relative importance to the design of the development’s facilities. 

4.4.5 Identify mitigation action to be taken to minimize adverse impacts and 

quantify associated costs. 

4.4.6 Design a Monitoring Plan which should ensure that the mitigation plan is 

adhered to. 

4.4.7 Describe the alternatives to the project that could be considered at that 

site. 

4.5 EnviroPlanners Limited will ensure that a thorough and comprehensive environmental 

impact is carried out by executing the following tasks: 

4.5.1 Task #1: Description of the Project: 

4.5.1.1 Provide a comprehensive description of the project, noting areas 

proposed for mining operations, mineral processing and construction of 

the Cement Plant. Detail the elements of the project, highlighting areas to 

be reserved for construction, areas to be preserved in their existing state as 

well as activities and features which will introduce risks or generate 

impact (negative and positive) on the environment. This will involve the 

use of maps, site plans, aerial photographs and other graphic aids and 

images, as appropriate, and include information on location, general layout 

and size, as well as pre-construction, construction, and post construction 

plans. All phases be clearly defined, the relevant time schedules provided 

and phased maps, diagrams and appropriate visual aids. A review of the 

impacts caused by operation will be done. 

4.5.2 Task #2: Description of the Environment: 

4.5.2.1 This task involves the generation of baseline data which is used to 

describe the study area as follows: 

4.5.2.1.1 Physical environment; 


48 


4.5.2.1.2 Biological environment; 

4.5.2.1.3 Socio-economic and cultural constraints. 

4.5.2.2 The methodologies employed to obtain baseline and other data will 

be clearly detailed. 

4.5.2.3 Baseline data will include: 

4.5.2.3.1 Physical: 

4.5.2.3.1.1 A detailed description of the existing geology, 

geomorphology, topography and hydrology of the quarry 

and cement plant sites. Special emphasis will be placed on 

storm water run-off, drainage patterns, effect on 

groundwater and availability of potable water. Any slope 

stability issues that could arise will be thoroughly explored 

and mitigation measures identified; 

4.5.2.3.1.2 Water quality of any existing wells, rivers, 

ponds, streams or coastal waters in the vicinity of mining 

activities and the proposed cement plant. Quality Indicators 

will include but not necessarily be limited to nitrates, 

phosphates, faecal coliform, and suspended solids; 

4.5.2.3.1.3 Climatic and Airshed conditions (air quality 

studies) in the area of influence, including particulate 

emissions from stationary or mobile sources, NOx, SOx, 

wind speed and direction, precipitation, relative humidity 

and ambient temperatures; 

4.5.2.3.1.4 Noise levels of undeveloped site and the 

ambient noise in the area of influence; 

4.5.2.3.1.5 Obvious sources of pollution existing and extent 

of contamination. 

4.5.2.3.1.6 Availability of solid waste management 

facilities. 

4.5.2.3.2 Biological: 

4.5.2.3.1.1 Present a detailed description of the flora and 

fauna (terrestrial and aquatic) of the areas, with special 

emphasis on rare, endemic, protected or endangered 

species. 

4.5.2.3.1.2 Migratory species will also be considered. 


49 


4.5.2.3.1.3 There may be the need to incorporate microorganisms 

and the existence of micro-habitats to obtain an 

accurate baseline assessment. 

4.5.2.3.1.4 Species dependence, niche specificity, 

community structure, population dynamics, carrying 

capacity, species richness and evenness (a measure of 

diversity) will to be evaluated. 

4.5.2.3.3 Socio-economic & cultural: 

4.5.2.3.3.1 Present and projected population; present and 

proposed land use; planned development activities, issues 

relating to squatting and relocation, community structure, 

employment, distribution of income, goods and services, 

recreation, public health and safety; cultural peculiarities, 

aspirations and attitudes will be explored. The historical 

importance of the area will also be examined. While this 

analysis is being conducted, an assessment of public 

perception of the proposed development will be conducted. 

This assessment may vary with community structure and 

may take multiple forms such as public meetings or 

questionnaires. 

4.5.3 Task #3: Legislative & Regulatory Considerations: 

4.5.3.1 Outline the pertinent regulations, policies and standards governing 

environmental quality, safety and health, protection of sensitive areas, 

protection of endangered species, siting and land use control at the 

national and local levels. 

4.5.3.1 The examination of the legislation will include at minimum, 

legislation such as the NRCA Act, the Wildlife Protection Act, The 

Mining Act, legislation from the Solid Waste Management Authority 

(SWMA), and the appropriate international convention/protocol/treaty 

where applicable. 

4.5.4 Task #4: Identification of Potential Impacts: 

4.5.4.1 Identify the major environmental and public health issues of 

concern and indicate their relative importance to the design of the project 

and the intended activities. 


50 


4.5.4.2 Identify potential impacts as they relate to, (but are not restricted 

by) the following: 

4.5.4.2.1 Change in drainage pattern; 

4.5.4.2.2 Flooding potential; 

4.5.4.2.3 Landscape impacts of excavation and construction 

4.5.4.2.4 Loss of natural features, habitats, niches and 

species by construction and operation; 

4.5.4.2.5 Pollution of potable, coastal, surface and ground 

water; 

4.5.4.2.6 Air pollution; 

4.5.4.2.7 Socio-economic and cultural impacts; 

4.5.4.2.8 Risk assessment; 

4.5.4.2.9 Noise 

4.5.4.2.10 Change in soil pH; 

4.5.4.2.11 Waste disposal; 

4.5.4.2.12 Possible improper or accidental waste disposal 

via discharge into sewers and water bodies, creation of 

mud lakes; 

4.5.4.2.13 Capacity and design parameters of waste 

treatment facility; 

4.5.4.2.14 Impact of leachate. 

4.5.4.3 Distinguish between significant positive and negative 

impacts, direct and indirect, long term and immediate impacts. 

4.5.4.4 Identify avoidable as well as irreversible impacts. 

4.5.4.5 Characterize the extent and quality of the available data, 

explaining significant information deficiencies and any 

uncertainties associated with the predictions of impacts. 

4.5.4.6 A major environmental issue is determined after examining 

the impact (positive and negative) on the environment and having 

the negative impact significantly outweigh the positive. 

4.5.4.7 It is also determined by the number and magnitude of 

mitigation strategies which need to be employed to reduce the 

risk(s) introduced to the environment. 


51 


4.5.4.8 Project activities and impacts will be represented in matrix 

form with separate matrices for pre and post mitigation scenarios. 

4.5.5 Task #5: Mitigation Measures: 

4.3.5.1 Prepare guidelines for avoiding, as far as possible, any adverse 

impacts due to proposed usage of the site and utilizing of existing 

environmental attributes for optimum development. 

4.3.5.2 Quantify and assign financial and economic values to mitigating 

methods. 

4.5.6 Task #6 Monitoring: 

4.5.6.1 Design a plan to monitor implementation of mitigatory or 

compensatory measures and project impacts during construction and 

operation. 

4.5.6.2 An Environmental Management Plan for the long term operations 

of the site will also be prepared. 

4.5.6.3 An outline monitoring program should be included in the EIA, and 

a detailed version submitted to NEPA for approval after the granting of the 

permit and prior to the commencement of the development. At the 

minimum the monitoring program and report will include: 

4.5.6.3.1 Introduction outlining the need for a monitoring 

programme and the relevant specific provisions of the permit 

license(s) granted. 

4.5.6.3.2 The activity being monitored and the parameters chosen 

to effectively carry out the exercise. 

4.5.6.3.3 The methodology to be employed and the frequency of 

monitoring. 

4.5.6.3.4 The sites being monitored. These may, in instances, be 

pre-determined by the local authority and should incorporate a 

control site where no impact from the development is expected. 

4.5.6.3.5 Frequency of reporting to NEPA: 

The Monitoring report will also include, at minimum: 


52 


4.5.6.3.5.1 Raw data collected. Tables and graphs are to be 

used where appropriate. 

4.5.6.3.5.2 Discussion of results with respect to the 

development in progress, highlighting any parameter(s) which 

exceeds the expected standard(s). 

4.5.6.3.5.3 Recommendations/ 

4.5.6.3.5.4 Appendices of data and photographs if necessary. 

4.5.7 Task #7 Project Alternatives: 

4.5.7.1 Examine alternatives to the project including the no-action 

alternative. 

4.5.7.2 This examination of project alternatives will incorporate the use 

history of the overall area in which the site is located and previous uses of 

the site itself. Refer to NEPA guidelines for EIA preparation. 

4.5.7.3 All Findings will be presented in the EIA report and will reflect 

the headings in the body of the TORs, as well as references. Eight hard 

copies and an electronic copy of the report will be submitted. The report 

will include an appendix with items such as maps, site plans, the study 

team, photographs, and other relevant information. 

4.6 Other pertinent and specific information to be covered/included in the EIA: 

In addition to the above the following information will be included in the 

Environmental Impact Assessment Study: 

4.6.1 Revised maps showing the areas proposed for quarry operation and the 

construction of the cement plant with the relevant setback from adjoining 

proposed residential and residential areas. 

4.6.2 A Species Management Plan to reflect the temporary handling of any 

endangered or endemic species identified during the study. 

4.6.3 An Archaeological study/assessment of the Rose Hall Quarry site. 

4.6.4 Public Health and safety concerns for the quarry and cement plant- (Health 

Impact Study) facilities on the adjoining communities. 

4.6.5 Preparation of a cumulative impact report of the new developments on the 

existing environment. 


53 


4.6.6 Provision of a conceptual reclamation and restoration plan for both facilities 

especially for the new quarry. 

4.6.7 Development of a closure plan for both facilities. 

4.6.8 Statements on Energy Conservation should be incorporated. 

4.6.9 Quarry Restoration and After Care Analysis. 

4.6.10 Outline of the transportation corridor for the conveyor belt and any other 

means of transportation of aggregates and finish products. 

4.6.11 Traffic Studies for both facilities. 

4.6.12 The disposal and management of solid, liquid and any hazardous waste 

during the construction and operational phases. 


54 


5.0 INSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK (REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS) 

The parent company of Cement Jamaica Limited (CJL) is committed to design and operate the 

proposed development to the same standard as its industrial developments in other parts of the 

world, such as North America. CJL is also committed to comply with all applicable legal and 

regulatory requirements that obtain in Jamaica. This commitment also applies to the EPC 

Contractor. The design and operational criteria for the facility have been based upon guidance 

provided by various Jamaican authorities, legislative and regulatory considerations identified 

below, and the Inter-American Development Bank. 

The following legislation and regulations are pertinent to the proposed construction, operation, 

and decommissioning of the cement plant and its associated quarries. In each case, comments 

are made with respect to the project. 

5.1 IDB/IFC/World Bank Guidelines: 

5.1.1 International Finance Corporation (IFC, World Bank Group) 

Environmental, Health, and Safety Guidelines for Cement and Lime 

Manufacturing 

The Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Guidelines issued by IFC are 

technical reference documents with general and industry-specific examples of 

“Good International Industry Practice” (GIIP). When one or more members of 

the World Bank Group are involved in a project, these EHS Guidelines are 

applied. 

As shown in TABLE 5.1.1 and TABLE 5.1.2, Cement Jamaica Limited (CJL) has 

voluntarily agreed to apply IFC Guidelines to particulate emissions and noise 

emissions for this project – even though they are not specifically required by 

NEPA. In fact, CJL agrees to apply either the IFC or NEPA Guidelines, 

whichever is more stringent. 

TABLE 5.1.1: CEMENT JAMAICA LIMITED’s PROPOSED PLANT PARTICULATE EMISSIONS COMPARED 

TO IFC GUIDELINES 

Dust Collector IFC Guideline Supplier’s Value 

Main Dust Collector 

55 


TABLE 5.1.2: IFC STANDARDS FOR NOISE EMISSIONS 

(NEPA’s guidelines for daytime perimeter noise are 75 decibels and 70 decibels for nighttime noise): 

IFC Guideline Supplier’s Value 

Maximum 60 dBA at any point from Outside Plant Maximum 60 dBA at any point from Outside Plant 

Fence 

Fence 

Maximum 85 dBA from Distance of 1.0 m from any Maximum 85 dBA from Distance of 1.0 m from any 

mechanical equipment, except blower 

mechanical equipment, except blower and ball mill 

Maximum 90 dBA from Distance of 1.0 m for Blowers Maximum 90 dBA from Distance of 1.0 m for Blowers 

and ball mill 

Maximum 90 dBA from Distance of 1.0 m for all Maximum 90 dBA from Distance of 1.0 m for all 

Motors > 150 Kw 

Motors > 150 kW 

5.1.2 Document of the Inter-American Development Bank - Cement 

Manufacturing Plants Guidelines 

(An Approach to Reconciling the Financing of Cement Manufacturing Plants 

with Climate Change Objectives, March 10, 2010) 

As shown in TABLE 5.1.3, Cement Jamaica Limited (CJL) has also voluntarily 

agreed to apply IFC Guidelines to gaseous emissions for this project – even 

though they are not specifically required by NEPA. Cement plants are a 

significant source of CO2 emissions, both due to fuel combustion and the 

decarbonization of limestone. The primary technique to be used by the EPC 

Contractor for prevention and control of CO2 emissions is process selection and 

operation to promote energy efficiency (i.e. 5-stage pre-heater with calciner and 

high-efficiency clinker cooler). In addition, the EPC Contractor will give due 

consideration to meet IFC Guidelines for nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions which 

are generated in the high temperature combustion processes of the cement kiln 

and calciner. 

TABLE 5.1.3: CEMENT JAMAICA LIMITED’s PROPOSED PLANT GASEOUS EMISSIONS COMPARED TO 

IFC GUIDELINES 

Pollutant 

IFC Guidelines 

(mg/Nm 3 , dry at 10% O2) 

Supplier’s Value 

(mg/Nm 3 , dry at 10% O2) 

NOx

56 


5.1.3 Document of the Inter-American Development Bank – Coal Fired 

Power Plants Guidelines 

(An Approach to Reconciling the Financing of Coal-Fired Power Plants with 

Climate Change Objectives, July 10, 2009) 

Coal is the least expensive, most abundant fossil fuel source for electric 

generation. However, coal-fired power plants produce a series of pollutants and 

other environmental impacts derived from the combustion of the coal. Based on 

technological developments over the last decades (which have led to cleaner coal 

technologies), IDB has agreed to support those coal-fired power plants in Latin 

America and the Caribbean (LAC) Region that are designed to meet minimum 

performance criteria in terms of efficiency and GHG emissions intensity, 

provided they also use the best appropriate available technology (e.g. the use of 

supercritical as opposed to subcritical technologies). Therefore, CJL and the EPC 

Contractor have agreed to use Super-Critical Technology for this project and to 

meet the minimum performance criteria shown presented in TABLE 5.1.4: 

TABLE 5.1.4: CEMENT JAMAICA LIMITED’s PROPOSED COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT 

MINIMUM PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

Technology 

Net Plant Higher Heat Value (HHV) 

Efficiency (%) (Bituminous coal) 

Net CO2 Emissions Intensity 

(kg CO2/net MWh) 

IFC Guidelines 

Super-Critical 

Technology 

5.2 National Legislation of Jamaica – Physical Environment 


Supplier’s Value 

Super-Critical Technology 

>38.3 >38.3 

57 


5.2.1.1 No person shall discharge on or cause or permit the entry into 

waters, on the ground or into the ground, of any sewage or trade effluent 

or any poisonous noxious or polluting matter. 

5.2.1.2 No person is allowed to construct or reconstruct or alter any works 

designed for the discharge of any effluent. 

5.2.2 The Act also empowers the authority to require of any owner or 

operator of pollution control facility information on the performance of the 

facility, the quantity and condition of effluent discharged, and the area 

affected by the discharge of such effluent. The Authority has the right to 

consult with any agency or department of Government having functions in 

relation to water or water resources to carry out operations to: 

5.2.2.1 Prevent pollutants from reaching water bodies. 

5.2.2.2 Remove and dispose of any polluting matter or remedy or mitigate 

any polluted water body in order to restore it. 

5.2.2 Environment Review and Permitting Process (1997) 

The Environmental Permit and License System (P&L), introduced in 

1997, is a mechanism to ensure that all developments in Jamaica meet 

required standards in order to minimize negative environmental impacts. 

The P&L System is administered by NEPA, through the Applications 

Section (formerly the Permit and License Secretariat). Permits are 

required by persons undertaking new development which fall within a 

prescribed category. Under the NRCA Act of 1991, the NRCA is 

authorized to issue, suspend and revoke permits and licences if facilities 

are not in compliance with the environmental standards and conditions of 

approval stipulated. An applicant for a Permit or License must complete 

an application form as well as a Project Information Form (PIF) for 

submission to the NRCA. 

5.2.3 Wildlife Protection Act (1945) 

The Wildlife Protection Act of 1945 prohibits removal, sale or possession 

of protected animals, use of dynamite, poisons or other noxious material to 

kill or injure fish, prohibits discharge of trade effluent or industrial waste 

into harbors, lagoons, estuaries and streams, and authorizes the 

establishment of Game Sanctuaries and Reserves. Protected under the 

Wildlife Protection Act are six species of sea turtle, one land mammal, one 


58 


butterfly, three reptiles and several species of birds including rare and 

endangered species and game birds. 

5.2.4The Endangered Species (Protection, Conservation and Regulation of 

Trade) Act (2000) 

This Act deals with restriction on trade in endangered species, regulation 

of trade in species specified in the schedule, suspension and revocation of 

permits or certificates, offences and penalties, and enforcement. Many 

species of reptile, amphibian and birds that are endemic to Jamaica but not 

previously listed under national protective legislation, or under 

international legislation, are listed in the Appendices of this Act. 

5.2.5 The National Resources (Prescribed Areas) Prohibition of Categories 

of Enterprise, Construction and Development) Order (1996) 

The island of Jamaica and the Territorial Sea of Jamaica have been 

declared a Prescribed Area. No person can undertake any enterprise, 

construction or development of a prescribed description or category except 

under and in accordance with a permit. The Natural Resources 

Conservation (Permits and Licenses) Regulations (1996) give effect to the 

provisions of the Prescribed Areas Order. 

5.2.6 Water Resources Act (1995) 

The Water Resources Act of 1995 established the Water Resources 

Authority (WRA). This Authority is authorized to regulate, allocate, 

conserve and manage the water resources of the island. The Authority is 

also responsible for water quality control and is required under Section 4 

of the Act to provide upon request to any department or agency of 

Government, technical assistance for any projects, programmes or 

activities relating to development, conservation and the use of water 

resources. 

It is the responsibility of the WRA as outlined in Section 16 to prepare, for 

the approval of the Minister, a draft National Water Resources Master 

Plan for Jamaica. Areas to be covered in this Draft Master Plan of 1990 

included objectives for the development, conservation and use of water 

resources in Jamaica with consideration being given to the protection and 

encouragement of economic activity, and the protection of the 

environment and the enhancement of environmental values. 


59 


Section 25 advises that the proposed user will still have to obtain planning 

permission, if this is a requirement, under the Town and Country Planning 

Act. In addition, Section 21 of the Act stipulates that if the water to be 

used will result in the discharge of effluents, an application for a license to 

discharge effluents will have to be made to the Natural Resources 

Conservation Authority or any other relevant body as indicated by the 

Minister. 

With regard to underground water, Section 37 states that it is unlawful to 

allow this water to go to waste. However, if the underground water 

"interferes or threatens to interfere with the execution or operation of any 

underground works", it will not be unlawful to allow the water to go to 

waste in order to carry out the required works provided that there is no 

other reasonable method of disposing of the water. The Authority also has 

the power to determine the safe yield of aquifers (Section 38). 

5.2.7 Country Fires Act (1942) 

Section 4 of the Country Fires Act of 1942 prohibits the setting of fire to 

trash without prior notice being given to the nearest police station and the 

occupiers of all adjoining lands. In addition, a space of at least fifteen feet 

in width must be cleared around all trash to be burnt and all inflammable 

material removed from the area. Section 6 of the Act empowers the 

Minister to prohibit, as may be necessary, the setting of fire to trash 

without a permit. 

5.2.7.1 Offences against this Act include: 

5.2.7.1.1 Setting fire to trash between the hours of 6.00 p.m. and 

6.00 a.m. (Section 5a); 

5.2.7.1.2 Leaving open-air fires unattended before they have been 

completely extinguished (Section 5b); 

5.2.7.1.3 Setting fires without a permit and contrary to the 

provisions outlined in Section 6 (Section 8); 

5.2.7.1.4 Negligent use or management of a fire which could result 

in damage to property (Section 13a); 

5.2.7.1.5 Smoking a pipe, cigar or cigarette on the grounds of a 

plantation which could result in damage to property (Section 13b). 

5.2.7.2 Vegetation clearance will be required but no burning is anticipated 

to facilitate this; however, the Developer should note the legal 

requirements for burning of vegetation. 


60 


5.2.8 Quarries Contract Act (1983) 

The Quarries Control Act of 1983 established the Quarries Advisory 

Committee, which advises the Minister on general policy relating to 

quarries as well as on applications for licenses. The Act provides for the 

establishment of quarry zones, and controls licensing and operations of all 

quarries. The Minister may on the recommendation of the Quarries 

Advisory Committee declare as a specified area any area, in which quarry 

zones are to be established and establish quarry zones within any such 

specified area. 

Section 5 of the Act states that a license is required for establishing or 

operating a quarry though this requirement may be waived by the Minister 

if the mineral to be extracted is less than 100 cubic metres. Application 

procedures are outlined in Section 8. The prescribed form is to be filed 

with the Minister along with the prescribed fee and relevant particulars. 

The applicant is also required to place a notice in a prominent place at the 

proposed site for a period of at least 21 days starting from the date on 

which it was filed. 

CJL will apply for and obtain the necessary permits and/or licenses for 

any and all quarries used to provide material for this project. 

5.2.9 The Pesticides (Amendment) Act (1996) 

The Pesticides (Amendment) Act of 1996 amended sections of the 

principal act, which came into effect in 1975 and established the Pesticides 

Control Authority. This Act gives the Authority the responsibility of 

controlling the importation, manufacture, packaging, sale, use and disposal 

of pesticides. Section 11 states that the Authority is required to keep a 

register or record of all relevant information such as registered pesticides, 

restricted pesticides, pest control operators and persons licensed to import 

or manufacture pesticides. Under Section 16 of the Act, the Authority may 

also, with the approval of the Minister, make regulations which relate to 

areas such as: 

5.2.9.1 Aerial application of pesticides; 

5.2.9.2 Supervision required for the use of pesticides, the 

prescribed protective clothing to be worn and other precautionary 

measures; 

5.2.9.3 The permissible levels of pesticides to be used; 


61 


5.2.9.4 The periods during which particular pesticides may or may 

not be used on certain agricultural crops; 

5.2.9.5 The disposal of pesticides and packages. 

5.2.10 Clean Air Act (1964) 

This act refers to premises on which there are industrial works, the 

operation of which is in the opinion of an inspector likely to result in the 

discharge of smoke or fumes or gases or dust in the air. An inspector may 

enter any affected premise to examine, make enquiries, make tests and 

take samples of any substance, smoke, fumes, gas or dust as he considers 

necessary or proper for the performance of his duties. 

CJL will ensure that all exhaust and emissions meet both the National 

Standards and IDB Standards. 

Environmental issues: Environmental issues in cement manufacturing projects 

primarily include the following: 

5.1.1.1 Air Emissions 

5.1.1.2 Energy consumption and fuels 

5.1.1.3 Wastewater 

5.1.1.4 Solid waste generation 

5.1.1.5 Noise 

5.2.11 The Natural Resources Conservation Authority (Air Quality) 

Regulations, 2002 

Part I of this Act stipulates license requirements and states that every 

owner of a major facility or a significant facility shall apply for an air 

pollutant discharge license. Part II speaks to the stack emission targets, 

standards and guidelines. 

The Act states that no person shall emit or cause to be emitted from any 

air pollutant source at a new facility, any visible air pollutants the opacity 

or pollutant amount of which exceeds the standards. 

Every owner of a facility with one or more air pollutant source or activity 

shall employ such control measures and operating procedures as are 

necessary to minimize fugitive emissions into the atmosphere and such 

owner shall use available practical methods which are technologically 

feasible and economically reasonable and which reduce, prevent or control 

fugitive emissions so as to facilitate the achievement of the maximum 

practical degree of air purity. 


62 


Under this Act, a "major facility" is described as any facility having an air 

pollutant source with the potential to emit: 

5.211.1 One hundred or more metric tons/year of any one of total 

suspended particulate matter (TSP); 

5.2.11.2 Particulate matter with a diameter less than ten 

micrometres (PM10); 

5.2.11.3 Sulphur oxides measured as sulphur dioxide (SO2); 

5.2.11.4 Carbon monoxide (CO); 

5.2.11.5 Nitrogen oxides (NOx) measured as equivalent nitrogen 

dioxide; 

5.2.11.6 Five or more tons/year lead; 

5.2.11.7 Ten or more tons per year of any single priority air 

pollutant; or 

5.2.11.8 Twenty-five or more metric tons per year of any 

combination of priority air pollutants; 

The stack emission standards specified in the Twelfth Schedule shall apply 

to all new facilities with air pollutant sources. 

Emissions from the Cement Plant will have the potential to influence 

ambient air quality. The accumulated impact of emissions from the 

Cement Plant and the other major contributors to the airshed may impact 

air quality in the airshed. These impacts will be influenced by 

meteorological conditions (precipitation, wind direction and speed, etc). 

The regulations define primary and secondary ambient air quality 

standards. The standards for those pollutants of particular relevance to 

the operations at the Cement Plant are shown in TABLE 5.2. 

TABLE 5.2: NEPA STANDARDS FOR AIR POLLUTANTS 

Pollutant Averaging Time 

NEPA Standards 

(µg/m 3 ) 

Total Suspended Particulates 

Annual 60 

24 Hour 150 

PM10: diameter

63 


5.2.12 Noise Standards 

Jamaica has no national legislation for noise, but World Bank guidelines 

have been adopted by the National Environment and Planning Agency 

(NEPA), and are used for benchmarking purposes along with the draft 

National Noise Standard that is being prepared. The guidelines for 

daytime perimeter noise are 75 decibels and 70 decibels for nighttime 

noise. 

5.2.13 Trade Effluent and Sewage Regulations (1996) (Draft) 

Jamaica has draft regulations governing the quality of the effluent 

discharged from facilities to public sewers and surface water systems. 

These draft regulations were gazetted sometime in 2006. The draft 

guidelines require the facility to meet certain basic water quality standards 

for trade effluent including sewage. The requisite permits and licenses are 

required to install and operate sewage treatment facilities. 

5.2.13.1 The project site contains several streams and is adjacent to a 

gully. During the construction and operation phases the integrity of the 

water quality in these systems should not be compromised. 

5.2.13.2 Cement Jamaica Ltd. will apply for a permit to construct a 

sewage treatment facility and a license to discharge sewage effluent. 

The proposed sewage treatment facility will be designed to meet NEPA 

standards for effluent discharge. 

TABLE 14: NEPA GUIDELINESS FOR EFFLUENT STANDARDS 

TABLE 14-A: Immediate Technology Based Effluent Standards - Existing Plants 

Parameter Effluent Standard 

BOD5 20 mg/l 

TSS 30 mg/l 

Nitrates (as Nitrogen) 30 mg/l 

Phosphates 10 mg/l 

COD 100 mg/l 

Ph 6-9 

Fecal Coliform 1000 MPN/100 ml 

Residual Chlorine 1.5 mg/l 


64 


TABLE 14-B: Proposed Sewage Effluent Standards - New Plants 

Parameter Effluent Standard 

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) 20 mg/l 

TSS 20 mg/l 

Nitrates (as Nitrogen) 10 mg/l 

Phosphates 4 mg/l 

Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) 100 mg/l 

pH 6-9 

Fecal Coliform 1000 MPN/100 ml 

Residual Chlorine 1.5 mg/l 

5.2.14 Watershed Protection Act (1963) 

This Act provides for the protection of watersheds and areas adjoining 

watersheds and promotes the conservation of water resources. The entire 

island however is considered to be one watershed, but for management 

purposes is divided into smaller units. There are 26 watershed 

management units declared under the Act. The Act makes provision for 

conservation of watersheds through the implementation of provisional 

improvement schemes whereby soil conservation practices are carried out 

on land. No regulations have ever been prepared under this Act and 

therefore voluntary compliance and training have been the only measures 

available to ensure appropriate management practices in watersheds in 

Jamaica. 

5.3 National Legislation of Jamaica – Social Environment 

5.3.1 Town and Country Planning Act (1958) 

Section 5 of the Town and Country Planning Act authorizes the Town and 

Country Planning Authority to prepare, after consultation with any local 

authority, the provisional development orders required for any land in the 

urban or rural areas, so as to control the development of land in the 

prescribed area. In this manner, the Authority will be able to coordinate 

the development of roads and public services and conserve and develop 

the resources in the area. Any person may, under Section 6 of the Act, 

object to any development order on the grounds that it is: 

5.3.1.1 Impractical and unnecessary; 

5.3.1.2 Against the interests of the economic welfare of the 

locality. 

However, if the Minister is satisfied that the implementation of the 

provisional development order is likely to be in the public interest, he 

may, under Section 7 (2) of the Act, confirm it with or without 


65 


modification by publishing a notice in the Gazette. Section 8 of the Act 

also gives the Minister the authority to amend a confirmed development 

order. Section 10 of the Act states that a development order must include: 

5.3.1.3 Clearly defined details of the area to be developed; 

5.3.1.4 Regulations regarding the development of the land in the 

area specified; 

5.3.1.5 Formal granting of permission for the development of land 

in the area. 

If the provisions of section 9A of the Natural Resources Conservation 

Authority (NRCA) Act apply to the development, the application can only 

be approved by the Planning Authority after the NRCA has granted a 

permit for the development (Section 11 (1A)). The Authority may impose 

a "tree preservation order" under Section 25 of the Act if it considers it 

important to make provision for the preservation of trees and woodlands in 

the area of the development. 

This order may: 

5.3.1.6 Prohibit the cutting down, topping, lopping or willful 

destruction of trees; 

5.3.1.7 Secure the replanting of any section of the woodland area 

in which trees were felled during the forestry operations permitted 

under the order. 

The tree preservation order is not applicable to the cutting down of trees 

which were already dead, dying or had become dangerous and the order 

can take effect only after it has been confirmed by the Minister. 

The Minister can, under Section 26 of the Act, make regulations to restrict 

and regulate the display of advertisements in any area to be developed if 

he considers this to be in the interest of public safety. Section 28 of the 

Act empowers the local authority to require the owner or occupier of land 

in the development area to take the steps necessary to ensure its proper 

maintenance. 

5.3.2 Land Development and utilization Act (1996) 

Under Section 3 of the Land Development and Utilization Act (1966), the 

Land Development and Utilization Commission is authorized to designate 

as agricultural land, any land which because of its "situation, character and 

other relevant circumstances" should be brought into use for agriculture. 

However, this order is not applicable to land, which has been approved 


66 


under the Town and Country Planning Act for development purposes other 

than that of agriculture. Among the duties of the Commission outlined in 

Section 14 of the Act is its responsibility to ensure that agricultural land is 

"as far as possible, properly developed and utilized". 

The proposed cement plant site is zoned for industrial development. 

5.3.3 Public Health Act (1976) 

The Public Health (Air, Soil and Water Pollution) Regulations 1976, aim at 

controlling, reducing, removing or preventing air, soil and water pollution in all 

possible forms. Under the regulations given: 

5.3.3.1 No individual or corporation is allowed to emit, deposit, issue or 

discharge into the environment from any source. 

5.3.3.2 Whoever is responsible for the accidental presence in the 

environment of a contaminant must advise the Environmental Control 

Division of the Ministry of Health and Environmental Control, without 

delay. 

5.3.3.3 Any person or organization that conducts activities which release 

air contaminants such as dust and other particulates is required to institute 

measures to reduce or eliminate the presence of such contaminants. 

5.3.3.4 No industrial waste should be discharged into any water body 

which will result in the deterioration of the quality of the water. 

5.3.4 The National Solid Waste Management Authority Act (2001) 

The National Solid Waste Management Authority Act (2001) is “an act to 

provide for the regulation and management of solid waste; to establish a 

body to be called the National Solid Waste Management Authority and for 

matters connected therewith or incidental thereto”. The Solid Waste 

Management Authority (SWMA) is to take all steps as necessary for the 

effective management of solid waste in Jamaica in order to safeguard 

public health, ensure that waste is collected, sorted, transported, recycled, 

reused or disposed of, in an environmentally sound manner and to promote 

safety standards in relation to such waste. The SWMA also has 

responsibility for the promotion of public awareness of the importance of 

efficient solid waste management, to advise the Minister on matters of 

general policy and to perform other functions pertaining to solid waste 

management. 

Solid waste management will be generated during both the construction 

and operation phases of the cement plant and will require the removal and 


67 


proper disposal of vegetative matter, which is cleared for construction, 

construction rubble and operational wastes. 

5.3.5 Jamaica National Heritage Trust Act (1985) 

The Jamaica National Heritage Trust Act of 1985 established the Jamaica 

National Heritage Trust (JNHT). The Trust's functions outlined in Section 

4 include the following responsibilities: 

5.3.5.1 To promote the preservation of national monuments and 

anything designated as protected national heritage for the benefit 

of the Island; 

5.3.5.2 To carry out such development as it considers necessary for 

the preservation of any national monument or anything designated 

as protected national heritage; 

5.3.5.3 To record any precious objects or works of art to be 

preserved and to identify and record any species of botanical or 

animal life to be protected. 

Section 17 further states that it is an offence for any individual to: 

5.3.5.4 Willfully deface, damage or destroy any national 

monument or protected national heritage or to deface, damage, 

destroy, conceal or remove any mark affixed to a national 

monument or protected national heritage; 

5.3.5.5 Alter any national monument or mark without the written 

permission of the Trust; 

5.3.5.6 Remove or cause to be removed any national monument or 

protected national heritage to a place outside of Jamaica. 

The JNHT has been written to advising them of the project and to 

determine if there are any known heritages or archaeological sites of 

interest within the project area. No written response was received, up to 

the time of the submission of this report. 

5.3.6 Registration of Titles Act (1989) 

The Registration of Titles Act of 1989 is the legal basis for land 

registration in Jamaica, which is carried out using a modified Torrens 

System (Centre for Property Studies, 1998). Under this system, land 

registration is not compulsory, although once a property is entered in the 

registry system the title is continued through any transfer of ownership. 


68 


5.3.7 The Factories Act (1973) 

Under Section 4 of the Factories Act, the Minister may make regulations 

generally for giving effect to the purposes of this Act, and for the purposes 

of ensuring the safety, health and welfare of persons who are employed in 

any factory or in connection with machinery, and in particular, and 

without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provisions, any such 

regulations may provide for: 

5.3.7.1 The safe means of approach or access to, and exit from, any 

factory, or machinery; 

5.3.7.2 The fencing and covering of all dangerous places or 

machines; 

5.3.7.3 Life-saving and first aid appliances; 

5.3.7.4 Securing safety in connection with all operations carried on 

in a factory; 

5.3.7.5 Securing safety in connection with the use of all engines, 

machinery, and mechanical; 

5.3.7.6 The proper ventilation of any factory, having regard to the 

nature of the process carried on therein; 

5.3.7.7 The sanitation, including the provision of lavatory 

accommodation (having regard to the number of workers 

employed) at any factory; 

5.3.7.8 The provision and maintenance of appropriate facilities for 

the welfare of persons employed at any factory. 

In Section 5 of the Act the Chief Factory Inspector may enter upon the 

premises and inspect the factory and machinery, at all reasonable times by 

day and night, and take materials used or samples of the products of such 

factory. 

Where any accident occurs in a factory which: 

5.3.7.9 Causes loss of life to a person employed in that factory; or 

5.3.7.10 Disables any such person for more than two days from 

earning full wages at the work at which he was employed, the 

manager of the factory or person having control of the machinery 

in such factory shall forthwith report the occurrence of such 

accident to the Chief Factory Inspector and in connection therewith 

he shall furnish such particulars as the Chief Factory Inspector in 

any case from time to time may require. 


69 


The provisions as laid out under the Factories Act will be relevant to the 

Cement Jamaica Ltd. and the establishment of the Cement Plant. 

5.3.8 Jamaica’s Energy Policy 

The Jamaican economy is not well endowed with petroleum based energy 

resources and therefore, depends heavily on imports. The policy seeks to 

diversify Jamaica's energy base with the aim of ensuring adequate and 

secure energy supply for Jamaica. The Energy Policy addresses issues 

relating to energy sources such as petroleum, renewable and other fuels. In 

keeping with the Government of Jamaica's commitment to deregulate and 

liberalize the Jamaican economy, the involvement of the private sector on 

a competitive basis is chosen as the best way to modernize and expand the 

energy sector, so as to achieve the required growth in energy supplies and 

to improve efficiencies in energy production. 

There are several objectives of the Energy Policy a few of which are to: 

5.3.8.1 Diversify the energy base; 

5.3.8.2 Encourage efficiency in energy production, conversion and 

use with the overall objectives of reducing the energy intensity of 

the economy; 

5.3.8.3 Complement the country's Industrial Policy recognizing the 

importance of energy as a critical input to industrial growth and 

stability; 

5.3.8.4 Minimize the adverse environmental effects and pollution 

caused by the production, storage, transport and use of energy, and 

minimize environmental degradation as a result of the use of fuel 

wood; and 

5.3.8.5 Establish an appropriate regulatory framework to protect 

consumers, investors and the environment. 

These objectives will be achieved by creating and enabling the 

environment to: 

5.3.8.6 Encourage private sector participation and investments 

through a policy of divestment and an appropriate regulatory 

framework conducive to new investment; 

5.3.8.7 Encourage energy conservation/efficiency on the supply 

side as well as demand side management; 

5.3.8.8 Fully protect the environment while ensuring that adequate 

energy supplies are available to the country and to sustain the 

desired rate of economic growth. 


70 


The protection of the environment is a primary objective of this Energy 

Policy and therefore, the environmental guidelines of the Natural 

Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) relating to the energy sector 

will be strictly enforced. 

With the establishment of the Cement Plant, Cement Jamaica Ltd. will act 

in keeping with the provisions under the Energy Policy and will sell their 

excess power to JPS. The objectives under the policy including the 

encouragement of the private sector to participate in the provision of 

energy sources, the diversification of Jamaica’s energy base and the 

protection of the environment are all applicable to this proposed project. 

5.3.9 The Town and Country Planning (St. Catherine Coast) Provisional 

development Order, 1964 

This order is to make provision for the orderly and progressive development of 

the southern part of the parish of St. Catherine excluding Spanish Town but 

including the areas to the east, south and southeast. This will also include the 

whole parish coast from the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporate Area Boundary 

on the east to the parish of Clarendon boundary on the west. No development will 

be permitted which would conflict with the proposals outlined in the Order. Land 

use proposals are not made for the whole of the area contained within the 

boundary of the Order. The areas are zoned for: urban development, roads, 

commercial areas, beaches, seaside parks, roadside parks, areas of natural beauty 

and historic interest, industrial area, amenity, zoning related to use classes, public 

services and miscellaneous. 

5.3.10 South Coast Sustainable Development Master Plan 

The Portland Bright Protection Area is a massive area, but the Government of 

Jamaica has zoned the edge for industrial development. The limestone quarry is 

outside the Portland Bight Protected Area. Jamalco Bauxite Plant, Old Harbour 

Bay Power Station, Port Esquivel Bauxite Port, JB Ethanol, JB Feed Mill, 

Windalco Port, and recent approval granted for LNG Facility (cooperative with 

Venezuela). 

The South Coast Development Master Plan (SCSDMP), 1999 was developed to 

facilitate a planned approach to the expected growth in the tourism industry and to 

explore environmentally sustainable pathways to economic growth. The plan area 


71 


runs from the east of Hellshire in St Catherine to Little London in Westmoreland, 

extending approximately 11 kilometers inland and offshore to a depth of 20m. 

The Plan aims to provide a framework for the management of the natural and 

man-made environment and to achieve orderly and sustainable development of 

the South Coast. It includes land use designation to promote: best use and 

sustainable development of natural resources; protection and conservation of the 

terrestrial and marine environment; conservation of the cultural heritage; 

community development and improved health conditions; and diversification of 

economic activities. 

The SCSDMP identified projects and programs in each of the key development 

sectors for the South Coast. The projects aim to address critical infrastructure and 

human resources constraints, as well as to secure the environmental assets of the 

region and promote economic growth. The projects were evaluated taking into 

consideration economic, social and environmental criteria, as well as consistency 

with the concept of sustainable development and stakeholder support. Appropriate 

development of infrastructure is a prerequisite for economic growth and 

diversification. 

The Plan envisages sustained development based on adding value to the natural 

and human resources of the region through the growth of community-based 

services. The high quality of coastal and upland landscapes; the rivers and 

groundwater resources; the prime agricultural land; extensive forests and 

wetlands; the beaches, reefs and fish nursery areas; and the distinctive cultural 

heritage of the region are the key environmental assets which will support 

sustainable growth. Building on these resources, strong protection and 

management of critical natural resources is at the core of the Plan’s vision. 

The project is consistent with the aims and objectives of bringing development to 

the Southern Region of Jamaica. 

5.4 International Legislative and Regulatory Considerations 

5.4.1 Cartagena Convention (Convention for the Protection and 

Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean 

Region) (1983) 

Adopted in March 1983 in Cartagena, Colombia, the Convention for the 

Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider 

Caribbean Region, also known as the Cartagena Convention, is the only 


72 


legally binding environmental treaty for the Wider Caribbean. The 

Convention came into force in October 1996 as a legal instrument for the 

implementation of the Caribbean Action Plan and represents a 

commitment by the participating governments to protect, develop and 

manage their common waters individually and jointly. 

Ratified by twenty countries, the Cartagena Convention is a framework 

agreement which sets out the political and legal foundations for actions to 

be developed. The operational Protocols, which direct these actions, are 

designed to address special issues and to initiate concrete actions. The 

Convention is currently supported by three Protocols. 

These are: 

5.4.1.1 The Protocol Concerning Co-operation in Combating Oil 

Spills in the Wider Caribbean Region (The Oil Spills Protocol), 

which was adopted and entered into force at the same time as the 

Cartagena Convention; 

5.4.1.2 The Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and 

Wildlife in the Wider Caribbean Region (The SPAW Protocol), 

which was adopted in two stages, the text in January, 1990 and its 

Annexes in June, 1991. The Protocol entered into force in 2000; 

5.4.1.3 The Protocol Concerning Pollution from Land-based 

Sources and Activities in the Wider Caribbean Region (LBS 

Protocol), which was adopted in October, 1999. 

5.4.2 Convention on Biological Diversity 

The objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity are "the 

conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of its components and 

the fair equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of 

genetic resources". This is the first global, comprehensive agreement 

which has as its focus all aspects of biological diversity: genetic resources, 

species and ecosystems. The Convention acknowledges that the 

"conservation of biological diversity is a common concern of humankind 

and an integral part of the development process". In order to achieve its 

goals, the signatories are required to: 

5.4.2.1 Develop plans for protecting habitat and species. 

5.4.2.2 Provide funds and technology to help developing countries 

provide protection. 

5.4.2.3 Ensure commercial access to biological resources for 

development. 


73 


5.4.2.4 Share revenues fairly among source countries and 

developers. 

5.4.2.5 Establish safe regulations and liability for risks associated 

with biotechnology development. 

Jamaica’s Green Paper Number 3/01, entitled Towards a National 

Strategy and Action Plan on Biological Diversity in Jamaica, speaks to 

Jamaica’s continuing commitment to its obligations as a signatory to the 

Convention. 


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6.0 METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH 

6.1 General Approach 

A multi-disciplinary team of experienced scientists and environmental professionals was 

assembled to carry out the required resource assessment, generation and analysis of 

baseline data, determination of potential impacts and recommendation of mitigation 

measures. The members of the EIA Professional Team are given in APPENDIX 6. An 

interactive approach among the environmental team members and other project 

professionals was adopted and was facilitated by team meetings as required. In cases 

where specific expertise was not available amount the team those activities were subcontracted 

to identified experts, as was the case for the airshed modeling. 

Baseline data for the study area was generated using a combination of Field studies; 

Analysis of maps, plans, aerial photos; Review of engineer’s reports and drawings; 

Review of background project documents; Structured interviews; Social surveys; Internet 

searches; Agency requests and document searches. Written environmental searches were 

undertaken through the Water Resources Authority (WRA), National Water Commission 

(NWC) and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM). 

In addition website searches of the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), 

Meteorological Service of Jamaica, and NWC were undertaken to obtain any further 

relevant information. 

6.2 Physical Environment 

6.2.1 Site and Situation 

A definition of the study area was determined based on the drainage 

pattern into and out of the site, the area to be traversed by the conveyor 

and reconnaissance of the communities within a sphere of influence – two 

(5) kilometer radius. Baseline data collection on the study area was 

conducted and included climate, hydrology, geology, noise, air quality, 

traffic, topography, socioeconomic, flora and fauna. 

All issues material to the site, such as rainfall, groundwater pollution 

incidents, flooding incidents, and other critical facilities were reviewed 

within a three (3) kilometer radius of the site. The available data that was 

referenced for this study is listed below: 

6.2.1.1.1 Satellite Photographs taken from Google Earth’s website; 

6.3.1.1.2 The 1:12,500 topographic sheet published by the Jamaica 

Survey Department; 

6.3.1.1.3 Water Resources Authority (WRA) Data Request – Old 

Harbour; 


75 


6.3.1.1.4 Hydro-stratigraphic Map of Old Harbour; 

6.3.1.1.5 Office of the Disaster Preparedness and Emergency 

Management (ODPEM); 

6.3.1.1.6 National Works Agency; 

6.3.1.1.7 Jamaica Meteorological Office; 

6.3.1.1.8 Internet searches of NEPA and other websites. 

6.3.1.1.9 Previous environmental impact studies for projects within 

the general area. 

Data was garnered from field, aerial photographs other relevant reports 

held within various governmental and non-governmental organizations. 

Implementation of the Terms of Reference (TOR) of this study involved 

execution of the following tasks: 

6.3.1.1.10 Review of the Project Description to understand the 

nature and components of the structures and activities of the 

proposed development, as well as examination of the Terms of 

Reference (TOR) with a view to identifying those aspects of the 

Terms of Reference that were to be addressed by the Hydrology 

Component of the EIA;6.3.1.3.1.11 Collation of available maps, 

plans, reports and data of relevance to the project and their review 

by desk study to understand the hydrological framework and to 

guide field investigation of the development site and its environs; 

6.3.1.3.1.12 Field reconnaissance of the development site and its 

environs to confirm the desk study interpretation and collect such 

additional data as was possible, including on-site discussions with 

the Project Engineer. 

6.2.2 Climate 

The climate information such as rainfall was obtained from the National 

Meteorological Services. 

6.2.3 Hydrology 

The hydrological assessment was made using a combination of data source 

and calculation models such as the WinTR-55; which is a single-event, 

rainfall-runoff small watershed hydrologic model. The model 


76 


generates hydrographs from both urban and agricultural areas and at 

selected points along the stream system. Rainfall Intensity values were 

obtained from the Jamaica Meteorological Office. 

6.2.4 Geology, Topography 

Data was generated from published geological information as well as 

assessment of the site through field visits, previous site reports and 

intrusive site reports done and is current public domain reports held within 

various governmental and non-governmental organizations. 

6.2.5 Drainage 

Data was collected, reviewed and analyzed to provide analysis of the 

change in drainage patterns, issues related to potential for ponding, and 

any history of flooding on the sites. This included: 

6.2.5.1 Drainage for the sites during construction to include 

mitigation for sedimentation to the aquatic environment; 

6.2.5.2 Drainage for the site during operation, to include 

mitigation for sedimentation to the aquatic environment and 

flooding incidences. 

6.2.6 Storm Water Runoff 

Data was collected, reviewed and analyzed to effect discussion of the 

proposed development’s impact on runoff and the consequential flooding 

potential. Potential increases to flows and channel shifting as well as to 

the coastal environment were identified subject to the available data. 

Other effects of storm water, such as soil erosion especially during the 

quarrying activities will be discussed along with mitigation measures to 

reduce same. 

6.2.7 Coastal and Marine Ecosystem 

An assessment of the construction and operation activities as to their 

influence on the existing marine environment was made. Also based on 

prediction of increased runoff, the effects on the marine environment were 

examined. 

6.2.8 Noise & Air Quality 

The approach taken in determining existing condition on the site as it 

relates noise and air was to conduct a search for available historic data. 


77 


The search came up with no available data for that site. Therefore, 

measurements were made on site using standard calibrated instruments. 

6.2.9 Solid Waste 

The availability of appropriate and approved solid waste facilities was 

examined. 

6.3 Biological Environment 

The approach taken for the study was to do a detailed walk through of the project 

site to ensure a proper coverage of all possible Fauna. The proposed site for the 

cement plant is highly disturbed and would not likely support any significant 

fauna. The quarry site exhibit clear signs of significant disturbance, but for the 

most part has been re-colonized by secondary forest. Detailed notes and 

photographs were taken during the surveys, summarized as follows: 

6.3.1 Terrestrial Flora 

The proposed plant site is highly disturbed and does not exhibit a great 

deal of biodiversity. The sparse vegetation indicates that the site was 

cleared in the past and is only partially re-colonized by a few naturally 

occurring species. The southeastern section is currently used by small 

farmers for cash crop. A detailed walk through the site was done to 

determine the presence of any flora of significance. 

The proposed quarry site comprises predominantly of dry limestone forest 

the majority of which has been exposed to major disturbance. 

6.3.2 Terrestrial Fauna 

A detailed walk through the sites was done to determine the presence of 

any fauna of significance. The non-existence of any significant fauna on 

the plant site was as expected given the absence of any significant 

vegetation makes the site undesirable as an habitat for fauna. The quarry 

site had reasonable amounts of reptiles, butterflies and birds. 

6.4 Socio-Economic & Cultural Environment 

To determine the cultural and social factors associated with the construction and 

operation of the proposed limestone quarry and cement plant, members of the 

communities in the general vicinity of the project were interviewed and a review 

of economic and social literature was conducted. These were undertaken to 

ascertain information to satisfy the following factors as outlined in the approved 

terms of reference provided by NEPA: 


78 


6.4.1 Present and projected population; 

6.4.2 Present and proposed land use; 

6.4.3 Planned developmental activities; 

6.4.4 Issues relating to squatting and relocation; 

6.4.5 Community structure, employment and imcome; 

6.4.6 Aspiration and attitude; 

6. 4.7 Access to, and delivery of health, education and social services; 

6.4.8 Recreation; 

6.4.9 Public health and safety; 

6.4.10 Historical importance of the area; 

6.4.11 Public Perception; 

6.4.12 Project awareness and acceptance 

6.5 Manmade & Other Hazards 

A review of all historical data available relating to hazards associated with 

projects of this nature, both locally and abroad was made. Incidences that may be 

peculiar to the project site were also researched. Consideration was given to 

possible occurrences both during the construction and the operation phases. 

6.6 Traffic Assessment 

The physical situation associated with the movement of traffic in the vicinity of 

the project site was observed and noted, along with the road conditions in the 

area. The volume and type of vehicular traffic traversing the roads adjacent to the 

site was measured. The data gathered was used to estimate the impacts together 

with any issues associated with the traffic locations. 


79 


7.0 CONDITION OF THE EXISTING ENVIRONMENT 

Cement Jamaica Limited (CJL) has proposed the construction of nominal 5,000 tons per day of 

cement clinker manufacturing plant at the Port Esquivel Industrial Complex with a limestone 

quarrying less than 2 kilometers away in the Rose Hall area of Clarendon. 

Baseline data collection on the study area was conducted and included climate, hydrology, 

geology, noise, air quality, traffic, topography, socioeconomic, flora and fauna. All issues 

material to the site, such as rainfall, groundwater pollution incidents, flooding incidents, and 

other critical facilities were reviewed within a 3 km radius of the site. The available data that 

was referenced for this study is listed below: 

• Satellite Photographs taken from Google Earth’s website. 

• The 1:12,500 topographic sheet published by the Jamaica Survey Department. 

• Water Resources Authority (WRA) Data Request – Old Harbour. 

• Hydro-stratigraphic Map of Old Harbour. 

• Office of the Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM). 

• National Works Agency. 

• Jamaica Meteorological Office. 

• Internet searches of NEPA and other websites. 

Data was garnered from field, aerial photographs other relevant reports held 

within various governmental and non-governmental organizations. 

Implementation of the terms of reference of this study involved execution of the 

following tasks: 

(i) Review of the Project Description to understand the nature and components of 

the structures and activities of the proposed development, as well as 

examination of the Terms of Reference with a view to identifying those 

aspects of the Terms of Reference that were to be in the EIA; 

(ii) Collation of available maps, plans, reports and data of relevance to the project 

and their review by desk study to understand the overall framework and to 

guide field investigation of the development site and its environs; 

(iii)Field reconnaissance of the development site and its environs to confirm the 

desk study interpretation and collect such additional data as was possible. 

7.1 The Physical Environment 

The relative location of the Limestone Quarries to the Cement Plant Site shown in 

FIGURE 2.1.4 are within 2 kilometers of one another. 


80 


7.1.1 Limestone Quarry Site (See APPENDIX 7 - Preliminary Limestone Mining 

Plan Report) 

The limestone quarry project area straddles the eastern border of the parishes of 

Clarendon with that of St. Catherine approximately 4 km west of the town of Old 

Harbour (GR 237 921.72E; 142 941.73N). It is centered at the false grid reference (GR) 

of 234 000E; 142 000N on the 1:50,000 metric topographic Sheet 17 (JD69 Series). The 

project area is rectangular approximately 2.88 km 2 in area and can be defined by the 

following grid references based on the 1:50,000 topographic map Sheet 17 

Northwestern corner – 233 616E 143 394N 

Northeastern corner – 234 423E 143 394N 

Southeastern corner – 234 423E 141 514N 

Southwestern corner – 233 616E 141 514N 

Figure 7.1: Limestone Quarry Location Map 

7.1.1.1 Geology and Geomorphology 

The geology and composition of the limestone deposit is based on information 

from Geddes (2009) Evaluation of limestone Old Harbour Hill - Phase 1 (the 

composition of the raw material was evaluated based on surface samples). 

The main structural elements in the project area are bedding and fractures. In 

general bedding is rare in the area however where seen and their orientation 

analyzed a distinct pattern emerge. Firstly most bedding in the eastern section of 


81 


the project area dips between 9 and 30 degrees in an easterly direction while those 

on the western side dip between 11 and 24 degrees in a southwesterly direction. 

These orientations suggest that the hill may represent an antiform with a vertical 

fold axis striking in a NNW-SSE direction along the main ridge of the hill. 

Alternatively the present orientation of the bedding in the area may be due to 

localized drag folding in the vicinity of faults. However the shallow dips observed 

suggest that faulting did not have a great effect on bedding, since beds dragged by 

faulting usually show much steeper dips. 

The project area is dominated by a major NE- SW trending fault that runs to the 

western section. There are several other minor faults/lineaments distributed 

throughout the area some of which has been widened to form gullies. 

The main effect of these faults is that movements along them in the past have 

caused the limestone to be highly fractured and brecciated. The rocks affected in 

this way are broken up into angular fragments from 1mm – 45cm (5cm average). 

Thus horizons are frequently unconsolidated and lend themselves to easy ripping. 

In places however, the brecciated material has been partially to completely 

recemented by the deposition of a calcium carbonate cement, to form a hard 

consolidated limestone up to 2 metres thick. 

Much of the eastern and western sides of the hill and its interior sections are 

marked by N-S faults which have resulted in steep cliffs along which brecciation 

is intense. The orientation of these major N –S faults, which are sub-parallel to the 

suggested NNW –SSE trend of the fold axis, strongly suggest that similar E –W 

compression forces created both the faults and folds. 

The other major structural features in the area are joints. These are ubiquitous in 

the project area. There are several different joint sets in the area with the major 

ones being vertical and trending NE –SW and NW – SE. These tend to intersect 

with the faults to create blocks of limestone varying in size from a few 

centimeters to hundreds of metres. 

Both faults and joints act as conduits allowing the percolation of water and soil. 

The cement holding the fault breccia together is often red from the lateritic soil 

being transported by seeping water. 

Several fractures are however not filled and are at different stages of being 

widened by erosion and solution to create fissures and gullies. A particularly 


82 


prominent gully, the Clarendon Gully drains the area immediately north and east 

of project area. 

Regional assessment – The geological unit known as the Newport Limestone 

Formation is of Miocene age and includes the entire area investigated, which 

stratigraphically probably corresponds to the central and upper sections of the 

unit. The limestones are biogenic with numerous fossils, solid, massive to thickly 

bedded, predominantly very pure with a high CaCO3 content. Superficial as well 

as deeper karstification of the limestone may be assumed. The limestones are 

sporadically lightly brecciated and slightly tectonically fractured. The limestones 

in the form of thick benches dip 9-30° in the eastern part and 11-24° in the 

western and southwestern part of the area. Thus, they form an apparently flat 

anticline with an axis in a NNW-SSE direction. The less frequent fault tectonics 

apparently has a predominantly N-S direction limiting the deposit, as well as a 

NE-SW and NW-SE direction. 

The results of the chemical analysis prove that the limestones from surface 

outcrops have a high CaCO3 content. A heightened to high MgO content was 

detected in only isolated samples. The contents of other contaminants are very 

low and favourable to cement grade limestone. The evaluation from the report by 

Geddes states: “Calcium Carbonate content ranging from 84.47 t0 98.78 %; 

Magnesium Carbonate content from 0.22 to 13.64 and Silica content from less 

than 0.2 to 5.78%. High silica and high magnesium carbonate values are found in 

only a few samples and are highly restricted in space and thus should have no 

effect on the quarrying activity to provide OPC raw material. 

7.1.1.2 Topography and Hydrology 

Contour data for the proposed sites was obtained from topographic surveys 

conducted by a commissioned land surveyor. The contour data revealed that the 

topography of the area is mountainous with moderate slopes. The proposed site 

is a headland with elevations varying from 118m to 34m above mean sea level. 

Figure 7.2 shows the contour data obtained when superimposed in a satellite 

image of the site. 


83 


Figure 7.2: Proposed Quarry Site Topography Map 

The site can be divided into three major catchments, eastern catchment, 

western catchment and southern catchment. Figure 7.3 shows the three major 

catchment areas. 

The eastern catchment encompasses an area of approximately 99.7 hectares 

(996 938 m 2 ) and ultimately drains via overland flow to the Clarendon 

gully located east of the quarry site. See Figure 7.3 

The western catchment has an area of approximately 71.8 hectares (718,336 m 2 ) 

and drains through three earth swales to the Mammee gully which runs parallel 

to the western boundary of the property before crossing the Old Harbour main 

road and discharging into the Palmetto Gully. 


84 


The Southern catchment has an area of 53.8 hectares (538,660 m 2 ) drained in a 

southerly direction via overland sheet flow. There was no noticeable drainage 

features draining this catchment which suggests that the land is drained by the 

existing roads an overland sheet flows to the Palmetto Gully. 

Figure 7.3 Catchments associated with the proposed quarry site 

The following could be concluded from the Hydrology and drainage analysis 

conducted to date: 

Ø The Catchments for site are primarily bounded by the natural topography 

in the area. The estimated 50 year peak flows from these catchments are 

expected to increase during the operation of the quarry. 

Ø The increases in flows are not expected to significantly affect the flows in 

the Clarendon and Mammee Gullies. 

Western 

Eastern 

Southern 

Ø There is no historical flood events on the site excepting at a box culvert 3 

which channels the Mammee Gully flow under an existing local road? This 

however is said to be a rare occurrence. 


85 


7.1.1.3 Water Quality 

There are three main watercourses within the region of influence of the proposed 

limestone quarry site; these are the Clarendon Gully, the Mammee Gully and the 

Palmetto Gully. None of these gullies maintain permanent flow, which takes place 

during and for short periods after rainfall/storm events. Although small pools of 

water were seen in depressions along the Mammee Gully during initial visit, at the 

time of sampling the gullies were all dry, therefore no water sample was collected 

for analysis. 

Figure 7.3: The Mammee Gully to the west of the quarry site 

i 

7.1.2 Cement Plant Site 

The proposed site for the development of the cement plant is located within the Port 

Esquivel Industrial Complex, on approximately 170 acres of land bordered to the north 

by Highway 2000 and to the west by the Port Esquivel main road. See Figure 7.4 below. 


86 


Figure 7.5: Proposed cement plant site 

7.1.2.1 Geology and Geomorphology 

The dominant superficial geological feature of the proposed cement plant site is 

alluvial deposits comprising of coarse gravels, sand and clay originating 

from the Rio Cobre Basin. The soil map of St. Catherine identifies the soil 

types for the areas as being the Lodge Clay Loam variety. 

Quaternary alluvium covers the Coastal Plains in the southern half of the Rio 

Cobre Basins. The Alluvium Aquifer in the Project Area is represented by 

Quaternary Alluviums. The alluvium unit is often characterized by much 

variability in litho logy (both laterally and vertically) and has implications on its 

hydrologic character. Although predominantly a clayey unit, a well developed 

surficial aquifer may be found in the upper 20 to 30 metres, comprising fluvioalluvial 

sands and silt, gravel, clays and marine sediment. The alluvial aquifer is 

unconfined and lies atop the karstic White Limestone Aquifer. 

There appears to be restricted hydraulic continuity between the alluvium and 

underlying limestone, each functioning as an independent aquifer. This is largely 

the result of a confining marine clay layer that separates the two. The confining 

unit allows the underlying White Limestone to become pressurized above 

atmospheric pressure levels and therefore has a higher hydraulic head than water 


87 


levels in the alluvium aquifer. (Details are presented in Appendix 7.2 – Hydrogeological 

Study Report) 

The general geology and geomorphology of the site suggest that it should be able 

to accommodate the structures associated with the cement plant; however a detail 

geotechnical study is required before final design is done. 

Figure 7.6: Geological Formation of the plant site and wider environs 

7.1.2.2 Topography and Hydrology 

The site at present is has a gentle slope from north to south with the site elevation 

ranging from 23.5 m to 14m. The site receives an earth drain at the north end 

approximately 2m wide and 2.7 m deep which runs through the centre of the 

proposed site with a manmade pond, triangular in shape, having equal side of 

about 10 metres in length. The northeastern section of the site also has a 

constructed concrete canal that pulls water from the Bowers River, for use to 

irrigate the farming activities that takes place on that section of the site. 


88 


Investigations of the site topography as well as anecdotal information revealed 

that the main drain referred to earlier is unable to contain the storm water which is 

expected from even the 2 year return period and so ponding in several low spots 

occurs on the site. (See Figure 7.7 - topography survey diagram below) 

Figure7.7: Topographical survey of proposed plant site 

The area of concern has several catchments which are generally bounded by the 

natural topography. From the site visit it was evident that in its existing form, the 

land is drained via overland sheet flow to the earth drain travelling through the 

site as well as the low spots. The catchments associated with the site have an 

overall area of 223 HA. The catchments associated with subdivision one have 

moderate slopes reaching a summit of 39 m above mean sea level north of the 

site. (Figure 7.8 shows the catchments associated with the site) 


89 


Figure 7.8: Catchment associated with the proposed plant site 

Meteorological data was supplemented by information regarding historical 

rainfall events that was obtained by conducting interviews with present residents 

in the area. From the information obtained, it was concluded that the proposed 

sites had no historical flooding events even during severe weather systems such as 

Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Dean in 2007. It was the general consensus 

that all the rainfall runoff tended to travel over land and on the existing roads to 

the existing earth drain. It should be noted however that there are no residents 

directly adjacent to the site and so they could not speak for what happens on the 

property. 

A preliminary hydrologic analysis was conducted to conclude whether the 

existing drain could handle the expected flows from catchment. The analysis 

revealed that the existing drain could not handle the expected flows for even the 2 

year event however the closest residents interviewed (less than 1km from site) had 

no recollection of flooding in past storm events. 

The proposed plan is to redirect the route of the existing earth drain to a proposed 

open U-drain which will run along the northern boundary in a westerly direction 

to the western boundary of the site. The drain will then continue south along the 


90 


western boundary to the southwest corner of the site before discharge into an 

existing culvert which will have to be upgraded. The site will then be graded to 

drain via overland sheet flow to internal drainage to be designed once the 

construction of the plant begins, and ultimately discharged to the Open U-drain 

being proposed along the western boundary. 

The proposed catchment is expected to generate a flow of 79.22 cubic metres per 

second for the 1 in 50 year event. The proposed U-drain will therefore be 8.6 m 

wide and 1.9m deep with a slope of 0.67% in order to handle the expected flow. 

The following could be concluded from the analysis conducted to date: 

� The Catchments associated with the site are primarily bounded by the natural topography 

in the area. 

� Presently the site is drained by overland sheet flow to the existing earth drain which runs 

through the site. 

� Anecdotal information retrieved on the site showed that there are no historical flood 

events on the site. 

� A detailed topographic survey of the proposed site and the earth drain upstream should be 

conducted to confirm the expected flows reaching the site. 

� A flood plain analysis should be conducted before internal drainage infrastructure as 

well as design floor levels are concluded. 

� Use the proposed drainage infrastructure to conduct the flow out of the site 

� Site should be graded to encourage runoff to proposed drainage infrastructure. 

Further details on the hydrology of the proposed cement plant site may be obtained from; 

Appendix 7.3 – “Drainage Plan for Proposed Cement Plant” 


91 


7.1.2.3 Water Quality 

The Bowers River which enters the site in the northeastern section and flows 

through the central region (see Figure 7.7) was the only water course that 

contained water during the time of the assessment. Samples for the analysis of 

water quality were collected in the vicinity of the pond and results are presented 

in TABLE 7.1.3.2. 

TABLE 7.3.1.2: WATER QUALITY DATA ANALYSES FOR BOWERS GULLY CURRENTLY 

ON THE PROPOSED FUTURE PLANT SITE 

PARAMETER 

Salinity 

(ppt) 

TEST METHOD RESULTS 

NRCA AMBIENT 

FRESH WATER 

STANDARD 

OS 10.6 - 


NRCA SEWAGE 

EFFLUENT 

STANDARD 

BOD5 

(mg/L) 

H-10099 3.6 < 1.7 

20 

Oil & Grease PR/GRV 6.4 - - 

Nitrate 

(mg/L) 

H-8039 2.7 < 7.5 

10 (Total Nitrogen) 

Sulphate 

(mg/L) 

H-8051 240.0 - 250 mg/l 

Phosphate 

(mg/L) 

H-8048 0.05 < 0.8 4 

pH OS 7.66 7.0 – 8.4 6.5 – 8.5 

TSS 

(mg/L) 

Conductivity 

(mS/cm) 

Fecal Coliform 

(MPN/100ml) 

SM-2540D 43.0 - 20 

OS 19.4 - - 

SM-9221 < 7 - 1000 

The result of the water quality analysis revealed that the overall 

quality of the water in the Bowers River was of reasonable quality 

with only BOD being marginally outside the limits of the standard 

for ambient fresh water. 

-

92 


7.1.2.4 Coastal and Marine Environment 

The coastal zone of potential influence by the proposed development of the 

cement plant and limestone quarry is the Old Harbour Bay as shown in FIGURE 

7.1.15.1. As part of this report, the findings of previous recent studied of the 

coastal and marine environment of the Old Harbour Bay done by CL 

Environmental was review and the information garnered summarized as follows: 

The percentage cover of the inshore environment shows 94% cover of sand and 

mud. This indicates a highly disturbed coastal environment as evidenced by 

visibly high turbidity, occasional high wave action and the industrial influences 

acting on the site (Windalco Bauxite Operations, JPS Power Plant Operations, JB 

Ethanol Operations, and related port activities). 

The offshore sites, located about 3 km from the shore, are characterized by 

shallow (1.5m), flat pavement covered by a thin layer of white, medium grain 

sand. Here exists extensive, healthy, seagrass meadows comprised solely of 

Thalassia testudinum (see FIGURE 7.1.15.2), with interspersed benthic 

macroalgae such as Halimeda sp., Caulerpa racemosa, Caulerpa sertularoides, 

Dictyota, and Padina. 

FIGURE 7.1.15.1: MAP OF OLD HARBOUR BAY SHOWING PORT ESQUIVEL, ROCKY POINT, AND 

CABARITA POINT 


93 


FIGURE 7.1.15.2: SEAGRASS (Thalassia testudinum) WITH EXCESSIVE SEDIMENTATION 

The satellite image of Old Harbour Bay (FIGURE 7.1.15.3) shows that the plant 

site and the quarry site are approximately four (4) and six (6) kilometers away 

from the coastal environment. There will be no effluent discharge from either the 

plant or the quarry, and therefore no possibility of waste from either locations 

being transported to the marine environment. Control features are needed at the 

quarry during operations and at the plant site during construction to ensure that in 

major rainfall events, sediments are not transported to the coastal environment. 

FIGURE 7.1.15.3: SATELLITE IMAGE OF OLD HARBOR BAY IN THE AREA OF PORT ESQUIVEL SHOWING 

THE RELATIVE DISTANCE TO THE PLANT SITE AND QUARRY SITE FROM THE COAST (4-6 KM AWAY) 


94 

EIA for Cemen nt Plant & Limmestone 

Quarry, , St. Catherine/ /Clarendon – CCement 

Jamaicaa 

Limited, 

The proposed p prroject 

is likkely 

to resuult 

in increeased 

runoff ff to the mmarine 

enviro onment but tthis 

should nnot 

have any significant iimpact 

on cooastal 

and mmarine 

ecosystem. 

The Windalco PPort 

at Port Esquivel wwill 

be utilizzed 

for impoort 

of 

equipm ment and raw 

material aand 

the expoort 

of producct. 

The projject 

should rresult 

in an approximateely 

30 perceent 

increase use of the eexisting 

portt 

when comppared 

with present p usagge. 

The incrreased 

port aactivities 

couuld 

result inn 

some impaact 

on 

the co oastal environment; 

howwever, 

the operators oof 

the port ( (Windalco) have 

assure ed that they wwill 

mitigatee 

any potentiial 

impact. 

7.1.3 

Clima ate 

7.1.3. 1 Rainfall: 

The mean m annual rainfall for the Bodles AAgricultural 

Research Station 

for thhe 

30- 

year period p 1951 to 1980 wass 

~1052 mmm. 

St. Catherrine 

and Clarrendon 

plainns 

are 

typica ally dry areaas 

compared to the rest oof 

the island, 

being in thhe 

rain shadoow 

of 

the Blue B and Johhn 

Crow MMountains. 

TThere 

is considerable 

vvariation 

in total 

annua al rainfall in the area. Thhe 

years of 22002 

and 20005 

were thee 

wettest yeaars 

in 

the 14 4 year periodd. 

Seven (7) ) of the fourrteen 

(14) yeears 

experiennced 

rainfalll 

over 

1000 mm, m but lesss 

than 1500 mm. Six (66) 

of the fourrteen 

(14) yeears 

had lesss 

than 

1000 mm m of rainffall. 

The an nnual distribbution 

of rainnfall 

is preseented 

in grapph 

below; 

200 

180 

160 

140 

120 

100 

AMO OUNT … 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

BODLEES 

RAINFFALL 

DISSTRIBUTION 

Jan 

Feb 

Mar 

Apr 

May 

Jun 

Jul 

Aug 

Sep 

Oct 

Nov 

Dec 

PPrepared 

by EnviroPlanners 

LLtd. 

– 26 Novemmber 

2010

95 


TABLE 7.1.3.4: PREDICTED RAINFALL INTENSITY FOR DIFFERENT RETURN PERIODS AT THE BODLES 

STATION 

Return Periods 2 5 10 50 

Predicted Rainfall Intensity 94 140 170 236 mm/24 hrs 

7.1.3.2 Temperature & Relative Humidity: 

Jamaica, mean monthly temperatures exhibits only minor variations with the 

summer (June to October) and winter months (November to March). 

Temperatures range between lows of ~16 ⁰C in the winter months and highs 

approaching 34 ⁰C in the summer months. Relative humidity is lowest in the 

drier months and higher in the wetter months. On average, the relative humidity 

ranges between 74% (in July) and 82% (in October). 

7.1.3.3 Wind: 

Representative data from the NMIA indicates that wind speeds are greatest in the 

dry hot summer months (June to August), often exceeding 18 kilometers/hour. 

After September, average conditions tend to be relatively calmer (less than 10 

kilometers/hour) until about mid-January. Between that time and the end of May, 

conditions are somewhat windier. Windy conditions during the winter months 

(January to March) are often associated with northwesters, blowing in from the 

northern latitudes. In terms of wind directions, the prevailing winds come from 

between 0 degrees and ~135 degrees (north to north-east). This is expected as the 

dominant system affecting the island is the North East Trade Winds. Between 

May and August, prevailing winds appear to come from the east. 

7.1.4 Air Quality 

As part of the Environmental Impact Assessment conducted for the proposed facility, an 

air dispersion modelling analysis was undertaken to determine the impact of the air 

pollutants from the proposed facility on the ambient air quality. A determination was 

also be made as to whether a significant air quality impact will be created based on the 

incremental contributions of the proposed facility to the cumulative air quality impact. 

In this regard, Jamaica’s Natural Resources Conservation Authority (Air Quality) 

Regulations of 2006 has defined as “significant air quality impact” as follows: 

(a) the increment in the predicted average concentration of sulphur dioxide (SO2), 

total suspended particulates (TSP), particulate matter less than ten microns 


96 


(PM10), or nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is greater than an annual average of 21 µg/m 3 

or a 24-hour average concentration of 80 µg/m 3 ; or 

(b) the increment in the predicted average concentration of CO is greater than 500 

µg/m 3 as a 8-hour average or 2000 µg/m 3 as a 1-hour average 

For cement plant operations, the primary air pollutant to ambient air quality is the 

secondary air pollutants, as defined above, are NOx, SO2 and CO. 

An air dispersion modeling using AERMOD (the AMS/EPA Regulatory Model) was 

conducted to predict the impact of the emissions on ambient air quality from the proposed 

cement manufacturing facility. The Air Quality Modeling Report, in its entirety, can be 

found in APPENDIX 7.1.4. This appendix describes the air dispersion modeling analysis 

for SO2, PM10, NO2 and CO from the proposed facility only and the consequent 

comparison with the Jamaican National Ambient Air Quality Standards, as well as a 

determination of whether the proposed facility’s air emissions will create a “significant 

air quality impact”. Importantly, a cumulative air quality impact analysis can also found 

in this APPENDIX 7.1.4. 

The conclusions of AERMOD Report are summarized as follows: 

7.1.4.1 The emission rates for PM, NOx and SO2 that will be emitted from the 

proposed cement manufacturing facility are in compliance with their respective 

emission standards as shown in TABLE 7.1.4.1. It may be inferred that these 

emission standards will not be exceeded based on the superior suite of air 

pollution control technology (fifty sets of fabric filters and a desulphurization 

unit) to be employed by the proposed cement manufacturing facility. That is, 

the contribution of the proposed cement manufacturing facility to the overall 

air quality impact in the local air shed can be expected to be negligible (see 

TABLE 7.1.4.2). 

7.1.4.2 The proposed cement manufacturing facility only has a minor 

contribution to the overall peak modeled short term concentrations for CO, 

PM10, NO2 and SO2 as shown in TABLE 7.1.4.2. As shown, other nearby 

sources includes the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) Old Harbour Bay 

Power Plant, the Jamaica Energy Partners (JEP) Dr. Bird Power Barges, the Best 

Dressed Chicken Feed Mill facility, and the Jamaica Broilers Ethanol facility. 

These sources were included in the modeling analysis in order to capture the 

cumulative air quality impact at the identified receptor locations. 

7.1.4.3 The model predictions for the proposed cement manufacturing facility 

revealed compliance with the CO, PM10, NO2 and SO2 ambient air quality 

standards and guideline concentration for the requisite averaging periods. 


Pollutant 

97 

PM10 

NO2 

SO2 

CO 


Moreover, the incremental impact of these air pollutants were also less than the 

established values that would have created a “significant air quality impact”. 

However, design changes will need to be made by the EPC Contractor to 

achieve compliance with the PM10 and NO2 ambient air quality standards and 

guideline concentrations. Specifically: 

7.1.4.3.1 The vent height of the fabric filter associated with the quarry 

crushing plant will need to be increased from 8.5m to 10.5m, while the 

vent height of the fabric filter associated with the additives and coal preblending 

area will need to be increased from 3m to 8m. 

7.1.4.3.2 Additionally, the design NOx specification for the cement kiln 

will need to be changed from 800 mg/Nm 3 to 400 mg/Nm 3 . 

Since the proposed cement manufacturing facility sources demonstrates compliance 

with the ambient air quality standards and the guideline concentration, as well as the 

significant impact incremental values, it is envisaged that approval will be granted for 

the establishment of the facility. That is, it has been determined that the predicted 

maximum concentrations as a result of the implementation of the proposed cement 

manufacturing facility (including the quarry footprint) would not exceed the 

concentrations that would have caused a significant air quality impact. Additionally, 

the proposed cement manufacturing facility also achieves compliance with the various 

ambient air quality standards for all applicable averaging periods. 

TABLE 7.1.4.1: SUMMARY OF MODEL RESULTS FOR THE PROPOSED CEMENT FACILITY 

Average 

Period 

Background 

(µg/m 3 ) 

Significant Impact 

Concentration 

(µg/m 3 ) 

Jamaican 

NAAQS 

(µg/m 3 ) 


Proposed Cement Plant Sources 

Max Concentration 

(µg/m 3 ) 

24-hr 9 80 150 59 

Annual 20 20 60 16 

1-hr 0 N/A 400 369 

24-hr 0 80 N/A 24.4 

Annual 0 20 100 4.2 

1-hr 0 N/A 700 424 

24-hr 0 80 280 28 

Annual 0 20 60 5 

1-hr 0 2000 40000 3.44 

8-hr 0 500 10000 0.67

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The contribution of mobile source emissions both on and off the facility was not 

considered in the modeling project, however, the emissions from these vehicles were 

considered as part of the background concentration value for particulates and nitrogen 

oxides. TABLE 7.1.4.1 highlights the emission standards to be applied to the proposed 

cement manufacturing facility. These standards are based on the Jamaica NRCA (Air 

Quality) Regulations, 2006. 

TABLE 7.1.4.2: SOURCE CONTRIBUTIONS TO PEAK MODELED SHORT-TERM CONCENTRATIONS 

Facilities 

Concentrations, µg/m 3 

PM10 – 24h NO2 – 1h NO2 – 24h SO2 – 1h SO2 – 24h CO – 1h CO – 8h 

New Cement Jamaica 

Limited 17.996 

0 

0.245 0.01 

0.3 0.0002 

0.006 

Existing JPS Operations 1.3 0 0.028 6911.63 567.2 2128.4 0.052 

Existing JEP Operations 0.4 0.0004 0.093 1056.36 84.5 107.5 0.003 

Existing Feed Mill 

Operations 

162.3 

2904.74 

679.157 0 

0.0003 0 

470.066 

Existing JB Ethanol 

Operations 

0.004 

0.0236 

0.02 0 

0.0007 0 

0.006 

Totals 182 2905 680 7968 652 2236 470 

Since the entire proposed cement manufacturing facility will be designed to accomplish a 

PM emission standard of 30 mg/m 3 , it is therefore concluded that compliance will be 

achieved. Also, the same 30 mg/m 3 PM emissions will be applied to the coal-fired power 

generating facility. With a fuel (coal) heat input to the coal-fired power plant of 27.95 

MJ/kg and a coal usage of 6.55 kg/s, a PM emission rate of 8.15 ng/J input is obtained, 

which complies with the stipulated standard as shown in TABLE 7.1.4.3. 

TABLE 7.1.16.3: EMISSIONS RATE COMPARISON WITH STANDARDS 

Facility Pollutant Emission Standard Emission Rate, mg/m 3 or ng/J 

New Cement PM 100 mg/m 

Manufacturing Plant 

3 (20°C, 101.3 kPa, dry 

gas) from clinker cooler; 50 

mg/m 3 30 mg/m 

from kilns, finish grinders 

and all other sources (20°C, 

101.3 kPa, dry gas) 

3 for all unit operations 

New Fuel Combustion PM 60 ng/J input, except during start- 

8.15 ng/J 

- Coal Fired < 70 MW 

up, shut-down, soot-blowing or 

malfunction for each stack 

SO2 520 ng/J input 267.2 ng/J 

NOx 260 ng/J 28.9 ng/J 

Finally, the coal-fired power generating facility will be designed to achieve a maximum 

emission rate of 740 mg/m 3 SO2 and 80 mg/m 3 NOx. When these values are applied to a 


99 


fuel (coal) heat input of 27.95 MJ/kg and a coal usage of 6.55 kg/s, emission rates of 

267.2 and 28.9 ng/J are, respectively, determined and are in compliance with the 

designated emission standard. 

In summary, the maximum predicted concentrations for the proposed cement facility 

sources have been determined and compared with their Significant Impact 

Concentrations, as well as the Jamaican National Ambient Air Quality Standards 

(NAAQS). The results reveal that the maximum predicted ground level concentrations 

from all the proposed sources of the cement facility (including the quarry) do not exceed 

the Significant Impact Concentrations. Additionally, the maximum predicted ground 

level concentrations from all the proposed cement facility sources plus the background 

concentrations (as recommended in the Air Quality Guideline Document) were all less 

than the NAAQS. 

FIGURE 7.1.15.1: MAP SHOWING THE SPECIFIC LOCATIONS OF THE POINT SOURCES FOR THE NEW 

CEMENT PLANT 

7.1.5 Noise 

A “base-line” noise assessment was performed at six (6) pre-selected locations in the 

Bodles area in St. Catherine from Tuesday November 23rd, 2010 at 7:00pm to 

Wednesday November 24th, 2010 at 6:00pm. Six (6) stations were monitored over a 

twenty four hour (24 hour) period. 


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The National Environment and Planning Agency’s has two guidelines as it relates to 

noise levels. The first is designated occupational and the second environmental noise. 

Stations 1 to 5 were within the occupational/industrial noise guideline. The 

environmental guideline is broken-down into zones and time periods (10 pm to 7 am and 

7 am to 10 pm) as shown in TABLE 7.1.17. Environmental noise guidelines include 

industrial, commercial and residential noise. For the purposes of this study, station 6 is 

considered residential and is well beyond the perimeter of the plant. As shown in 

FIGURE 7.1.5, during the 7 am to 10 pm time band, all stations except station 6 

(58.0dBA) complied with the NEPA guidelines. During the 10 pm to 7 am time band, 

again station 6 (53.4dBA) was non-compliant with the NEPA guidelines. Numbers in red 

shows are not currently in compliance with NEPA day and/or night standards. 

TABLE 7.1. 5 COMPARISON OF AVERAGE NOISE LEVELS AT STATIONS WITH NEPA PROPOSED NOISE 

GUIDELINES 

STN # ZONE 

ACTUAL AVG. 

LEVELS (dBA) 

(7 am. - 10 pm.) 

NEPA DAY 

STD. (dBA) 

(7 am. - 10 pm.) 

ACTUAL AVG. 

LEVELS (dBA) 

(10 pm. - 7 am.) 


NEPA NIGHT 

STD. (dBA) 

(10 pm. - 7 am.) 

STN 1 Industrial 57.1 75 54.3 70 




STN 5 Industrial - 75 - 70 

STN 6 Residential 58.0 55 53.4 50

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FIGURE 7.1.5: MAP OF FUTURE PLANT SITE SHOWING THE SIX (6) LOCATIONS OF THE BASELINE 

NOISE MONITORING SURVEY 

The complete Background Noise Study and Report can be found in APPENDIX 7.1.5. 

As indicated, all the stations, except Station 6 (58.0 dBA – day time and 53.4 dBA night 

time) were also compliant IFC/World Bank guidelines. 

7.1.6 Solid Waste 

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) has responsibility for 

collection and disposal of solid waste within the project area. The approved disposal site 

is Riverton City and the service provider for domestic waste is the Metropolitan Parks 

and Markets (MPM). Contract haulage firms will be used for the construction waste. 

The solid waste management requirements of both phases of the development require 

prompt and efficient removal of solid waste to an approved disposal site. Stockpiling and 

composting of organic waste is recommended. 


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7.1.7 Heritage Sites Considerations 

The developments lie in an area whose settlement dates back in the records to the Spanish 

and early British period. They both lie on a historically important trade, communication 

and security route between May Pen and Old Harbour. Sugar cane, tobacco, cattle and 

other livestock rearing were well established and documented activities. There is 

therefore the likelihood that although reconnaissance revealed no artifacts of interest, the 

sites may contain subsurface artifacts. It is therefore proposed that the Jamaica National 

Heritage Trust (JNHT) be asked to undertake a watching brief at the time of site 

clearance and excavation. 

7.2 Biological Environment 

7.2.1 Cement Plant Site 

The project site is highly disturbed and does not exhibit a great deal of biodiversity. The sparse 

vegetation indicates that most of the site may have been cleared in the past for agriculture and is 

only partially re-colonized by a few naturally occurring species. The southern section of the site 

had been leased for farming and was used by small farmers for short term crops. 

Site proposed for cement plant 


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Short term crop in the southern section of site 

7.2.2 Limestone Quarry Site 

Vegetation coverage of the limestone hills is typically thick shrubs and tree forests. The 

forest tends to be in the higher elevations and consists of trees such as cedar. Several 

local fruit trees are also noted scattered through the area, including ackee (Blighia 

sapida), lime, sweetsop (Annona squamosa) and guinep. Shrubs include thatch 

(Coccothrinax argentata) and broom weed (Amphiachyris). 

7.3 Socio-Economic and Cultural Environment 

7.3.1 Survey Findings 

A survey of the residents in the local community in the area of the cement plant and 

quarrying facility was conducted by the EIA Team. The survey form is shown in 

APPENDIX 7.3.2.6. 

The results of the survey indicated that the majority of the residents are looking 

forward to the project and see it as a means for increasing the socio-economic quality 

of their lives. Some are currently employed, but they see the project as enhancing 

current inflows or providing employment for others. Survey findings revealed that 

residents of the area hold the following views about the project: 

� 95.5% - project will provide jobs 

� 87.3% - project will attract others to live/work in community 

� 74.5% – project will not destroy natural environment 

� 25.4% - project will destroy natural environment 

� 85.5% - project will not damage farmland 

� 11.1% - will cause flooding 


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� 88.9% - project will not cause or contribute to flooding 

� 35,5% - project will have significant impact on environment 

� 64.5% - project will have no significant impact on the environment. 

� 78.5% - project will create/contribute dust nuisance during construction phase 

� 21.5% - project will not create/contribute to dust nuisance during the 

construction phase. 

7.4 Traffic Assessment 

The proposed site for the development of the Cement Plant is located adjacent to 

Highway 2000 at the entrance from the Old Harbour main road. This section of the 

Highway was completed in 2006, and was built to international standard, comprising 

of four traffic lanes, two in either direction with soft shoulders on both sides. The 

surface of the road is in excellent condition and is a dual carriage way. 

Public transportation to the site is provided by the many buses, minivans and taxis 

which operate along the main road between Old Harbour and May Pen and the other 

towns and communities in between. 

Monitoring of traffic movement passing the site was done for a nine hour period 8:00 

am to 5:00 pm. This represents the typical working hours in Jamaica for operations of 

this nature. For observation purposes vehicles were divided into two categories; 

1. Buses and Trucks 

2. Others (Cars, Pckup, SUV Etc) 

The number of vehicles going in both directions along the Highway, as well as the 

number passing in both directions along the main road was recorded. The results are 

presented in TABLE 15: 

TABLE 15: TRAFFIC SURVEY CONDUCTED BY ENVIROPLANNERS 

Description 

Number of 

Vehicles 

Total number of Bus/Truck passing site on highway easterly 396 

Total number of Other vehicles passing site on highway easterly 1290 

Total number of vehicles passing site on highway easterly 1686 

Total number of Bus/Truck passing site on highway westerly 323 

Total number of Other vehicles passing site on highway westerly 1396 

Total number of vehicles passing site on highway westerly 1692 

Total number of vehicles passing site on highway in both directions 3378 

7.5 Hospitals 

The nearest hospitals are both Type B, May Pen with 150 beds and Spanish Town with 


105 


320. The Spanish Town the hospital being the more equip is recommended for 

emergency cases originating in the project area. 

7.6 Police Stations 

The projects fall within Area 5 of the Constabulary Forces, headquartered in Portmore. 

The Old Harbour Police Station is one of seven Out Stations within the Division. Crime 

in the area has been on the increase, and there is a shortage of man power. It is not 

envisioned however that the project will have any significant demand on the security 

forces. 

7.7 Man-made and Other Hazards 

7.10.1 Natural Hazards 

7.10.1.1 Flooding 

Flooding is not considered to be of significance at any of the two project 

sites. This is however presented and discussed in detail in the respective 

sites drainage study. 

7.10.1.2 Earthquakes 

The site is prone to the worst effects of earthquakes by virtue of its 

proximity to a seismically active zone (Wagwater Fault). In addition, it is 

likely that it is particularly prone to liquefaction because of acceleration of 

the seismic waves in the alluvial soils. 

About 200 earthquakes are located in and around Jamaica per year most of 

which are minor, having magnitudes less than 4.0. The most seismically 

active areas are the Blue Mountain block in eastern Jamaica and the 

Montpelier-Newmarket belt in western Jamaica. Other areas of notable 

seismicity include the near offshore south-west of Black River on the 

south coast, and offshore Buff Bay on the north–east coast. 


106 


Offshore: WFZ - Walton Fault Zone; NJF - North Jamaica Fault; EF - Enriquillo Fault 

Major land faults: ML - Maryland; DFZ - Duanvale; SCr - Santa Cruz; ST - Spur Tree; SoC - 

South Coast; RMCR - Rio Minho-Crawle River; WW - Wagwater; BM - Blue Mountain; YPG - 

Yallahs-Plantain Garden 

Other Structural features: H - Hanover Block; NCB - North Coast Block; C - Clarendon Block; 

B - Blue Mountain Block; MNB - Montpelier-Newmarket Belt; WWB - Wagwater Belt 

(After Jamaica Geological Structure Series Map 92-21, 1992) 

7.10.1.3 Hurricanes 

Jamaica lies within the Caribbean hurricane belt and has been directly 

affected by numerous hurricanes. During the hurricane season (June to 

November) these low-pressure systems form in the mid-Atlantic off the 

African west coast between latitudes 5 to 25 N, and move northwesterly 

into the Caribbean basin. Hurricanes normally steadily progress from a 

tropical wave, to a tropical depression, to a tropical storm, then to a 

hurricane. The hurricane itself has five categories according to the Saffir- 

Simpson Hurricane scale with a category one having the lowest wind 

speeds and the category five with the highest. Although the category of 

the hurricane indicates its intensity and subsequently its damage potential, 

the impacts of the hurricane depend on when and where the storm strikes. 

The intensity and frequency of storms vary with various global 

meteorological conditions from year to year, and it is suggested that it may 

be influenced by the occurrence of the El Nino/La Nina phenomena and 


107 


the development of high pressure cells, mid-Atlantic sea surface 

temperatures and the amount of Sahara dust in the upper atmosphere. 

Although the eyes of the storms generally track south of the island, 

hurricane force winds can be felt across southern parishes and even 

northern parishes. Depending on the distance from the shores, and the 

actual size and organization of the storm, hurricane or tropical storm 

winds may be felt from the outer bands in the vicinity of the site. 


108 


8.0 IMPACT SUMMARY AND MONITORING PLAN 

An impact is any change to the existing condition of the environment caused by human activity 

or an external influence. Impacts therefore may be positive (beneficial) or negative (adverse). 

They may also be direct or indirect, long-term or short-term, and extensive or local in effect. 

Impacts are termed cumulative when they add incrementally to existing impacts. Both positive 

and adverse environmental impacts could arise during the site preparation, construction and the 

operations phases of the cement plant and limestone and clay quarry. 

8.1 Impact during the Construction Phase: 

The main contractor for the development is an EPC Contractor who has significant experience in 

similar construction developments. It is expected that a maximum of 800 workers will be on site 

at any one time and it is planned that they will live in a specially constructed camp. The camp 

will be located adjacent to the construction site to the east of plant site and will have all the 

necessary facilities to make the camp self-contained, including recreational facilities. The 

construction camp will consist of several pre-fabricated buildings and necessary infrastructure. 

The construction activities will include: 

� Site clearance, ground modeling and landscaping; 

� Utilities and services connections to site; 

� Foundation excavations and installation of concrete footings; 

� Erection of building steel frames and cladding; 

� Installation of equipment; 

� Ancillary facilities erection; 

� Services and utilities connections; 

� Building fitting-out; and 

� Commissioning. 

The main direct ecological impact resulting from the construction phase of the project will be the 

loss of vegetation associated with the “clearance” at the quarry areas, and the access road 

alignments. The cement plant and construction camp sites are inside an existing Industrial 

Complex. With soil and vegetation removed, the habitat for fauna (mammals, birds, reptiles, 

amphibians, invertebrates) will also be destroyed along with any fauna that cannot readily move 

away when site clearance takes place. 

Translocation of vegetation on a large scale is unlikely to be feasible. However, Cement Jamaica 

Ltd. shall establish forest nurseries in association with this project. Tree seedlings are used (i) to 

provide physical screening of quarries and cement plant sites and (ii) for subsequent site 

restoration. The establishment of one or more nurseries in relation to the three (3) proposed 

project sites should assist with short-term mitigation and longer term on and off-site restoration 

of damaged habitat. 


109 


Vegetation loss at the quarries and cement plant sites cannot be avoided, but successful 

restoration, improvement and long term management of the surrounding areas for 

conservation and productive uses will provide significant compensation. Careful 

consideration needs to be given to the plant species that are to be raised in a nursery. For 

habitat restoration, native species should be used in preference to exotic and/or 

commercial forestry species, though there may be a role for commercial species if there is 

local demand for wood-producing plantations. In particular, consideration should be 

given to the propagation of indigenous herbal species with medicinal and other practical 

uses. i.e. species that are favored by neighboring communities. Species of known 

biological conservation value should also be favored i.e. rare or threatened plant species 

and those known to be important food plants for wildlife, e.g. butterflies. 

To achieve this, a “habitat survey and management study” needs to be conducted in and 

around the two (2) sites in order to: 

(i) Assess in more detail the type, distribution and condition of the existing vegetation 

(and soil cover); 

(ii) Assess better the presence and status of fauna, especially species of conservation 

significance, and 

(iii) Develop habitat and species management proposals. This will require close 

consultation with local scientists and communities to ensure that their requirements 

are met and that they subsequently comply with any management practices. 

It is proposed that seed and other propagation material (e.g. bulbs and cuttings) will be 

collected for the plant nursery in the area adjacent to the development. A competent 

horticulturalist (preferably with ecological training or interests) will be required to 

oversee the collecting of the material, its propagation at the nursery and its subsequent 

planting). The horticulturalist should also participate in and contribute to the quarry 

extraction plan with regard to the sequence of the quarry development. With knowledge 

of the clearance sequence and time-table and subsequent quarrying schedule, any 

programs for surveying fauna and vegetation can be tied into the site-stripping programe. 

In addition to the horticulturalist, an ecologist will need to be appointed (with some 

occasional international support if he/she is lacking in experience of ecological 

mitigation) to contribute to the habitat survey and management study, and to survey and 

conduct the translocation of fauna, where this is deemed desirable. 

For the quarry access roads, an Ecological Method Statement should be developed in 

conjunction with the designer/contractor to provide a mechanism to ensure that the 

necessary protection measures are put in place. Adjustments to the alignment and 


110 


construction methods will be made to avoid sensitive areas wherever practical and to 

allow e.g. suitable stream/river crossings to be incorporated. 

With regards to emissions to air, construction activities can generate dust that can cause a 

nuisance to local residents and cause a health risk to construction workers. As the nearest 

residential receptors are approximately 1 kilometer from the main development site it is 

considered unlikely that there will be an impact on local people. The main risk is 

considered to be the exposure of workers on site. 

Dust control measures, together with the use of appropriate personal protective 

equipment and appropriate maintenance of vehicles will be used to mitigate this impact. 

The impact of emissions of vehicle exhaust gases on air quality is considered negligible. 

Water in the vicinity of the construction site can become polluted as a result of releases of 

materials used during construction. Potentially polluting materials will be carefully stored 

in suitable containment in order to reduce the risk of pollution incidents from spills and 

leaks. 

In order to manage the domestic effluent produced at the site which will be an issue 

particularly during construction with the large numbers of workers present at the site, a 

sewage treatment plant will be constructed. The plant which is being designed at the time 

of writing will be designed to take into account the load placed upon it during the 

construction phase and will be permanent for use treatment of domestic effluent during 

the operational phase of the project. The final effluent will be of a quality that meets the 

requirements for irrigation and will be used to irrigate green space on the site. 

Due to the semi-natural rural character of the proposed site, the transitory visual impacts 

of construction works are expected to be moderately adverse due to the introduction of 

prominent structures and construction equipment. However, the topography of the area 

will provide a natural level of screening of the works and the layout of the site will be 

sensitively planned to use this to minimize negative visual impacts. 

The effects of the traffic generated by the construction phase are likely to be moderately 

adverse when considered within the context of the relatively low volumes of traffic that 

passes through the local area daily. 

Finally, noises levels are likely to be fairly high and any noise associated with 

construction activities is likely to have negligible impact. Measures to reduce 

construction noise levels will be included in the Environmental Management Plan and 

Monitoring Program. 


111 


Overall, with the exception of the impacts on ecology within the boundary of the 

development area, the construction activities are transitory, and are considered likely to 

have a minor adverse impact on dust levels and a moderate adverse visual impact. 

8.1.1 Loss of Terrestrial Habitat and Biodiversity 

Impact: The site has already been cleared of most of its vegetation, the clearing 

and grading of the site will therefore not have significant impact on biodiversity. 

Removal of the sparsely vegetated grass will result in a minor loss of vegetation 

in the short term and in the longer term the development will prevent the 

possibility of re-colonization by invasive species. 

Mitigation: The overall objective of this mitigation is to establish as many green 

areas as possible around the facility. Site clearance and setting out of the facility 

must avoid the removal of trees wherever possible. The establishment of green 

areas on the site should include the planting of bird feeding trees. 

8.1.2 Loss of Land Use Options 

Impact: Construction of the facility will result in a loss of the options for 

alternative use of the land and thus represents an irreversible commitment of land 

resources. Loss of the option to utilize the land for any other purpose can be 

considered to be a negative impact. 

Mitigation: Mitigation is not considered for this impact, but it has been addressed 

in Section 3.0 of this report (Analysis of Alternatives). 

8.1.3 Soil Erosion 

Impact: Excavation works for construction of the cement plant will expose soils 

in the affected areas, leaving them vulnerable to erosion by surface run-off during 

heavy rainfall. However, the flat topograghy of the site should minimize this 

negative impact. 

Mitigation: The EPC Contractor must minimize the area of exposed soil at any 

given time and to wet, compact and resurface the disturbed areas as soon as 

possible. The EPC Contractor must also construct the drainage system during the 

very initial stage of the project. 

8.1.4 Noise 

Impact: The use of heavy equipment during site clearance and construction works 

will inevitably generate noise, which may create a nuisance for persons in the 

vicinity. This is a negative impact but is not considered to be significant, as the 

duration will be short-term and there are no communities close to the site. 


112 


Mitigation: Warning signs will be posted within the vicinity of the impact and all 

personnel shall be provided with personal protective equipment. For example, 

workers operating equipment that generates noise should be equipped with the 

appropriate noise protection gear. Construction activities that will generate 

disturbing sounds shall be restricted to normal working hours. 

8.1.5 Dust 

Impact: The site clearing and excavation works will produce fugitive dust which 

may result in increased levels of air borne particulate matter. This situation will 

be worst during the dry periods and prevailing winds. The occurrence of dusting 

is periodic and short-term, lasting only for the duration of the construction 

activity. 

Mitigation: Dust Exposed surfaces should be regularly wetted in a manner that 

effectively keeps down the dust. Stockpiles of fine materials shall be covered 

during windy conditions. Workers on the site shall be issued with dust 

masks/respirators for use during dry and windy conditions 

8.1.5 Traffic 

Impact: Based on the nature and size of the operation, it is anticipated that about 

100 vehicles per day will enter and leave the site during construction and about 

200 vehicles per day during operation. This will have an impact on the traffic, 

however, because the entrance is located on the Port Esquivel road where existing 

traffic is sparse, there should be minimum impact. The volume of vehicles using 

the highway is moderate and the increased volume over time is not expected to 

result in any major negative impact. 

Mitigation: The gate to the property will be set-back by at least 30 meters to 

allow for vehicles entering the property to clear the roadway. Adequate parking 

will be made available. Warning signs and sight mirrors shall be installed at 

appropriate places on the roads. 

8.1.6 Socio-Economic 

Impact: During both the construction and the operation phases, the development 

will provide direct and indirect opportunity for employment of both skilled and 

unskilled personnel. An estimated 300 people will be directly employed during 

construction and about 450 people will be employed during operations. In 

addition, the small businesses in the area such as grocers wholesalers, restaurant 

operators and transportation operators will experience positive spin-off as the 

development of the project will boast economic activities, resulting in greater 

disposable income among residence of the area. It is expected that 1,000 people 

will be indirectly employed in cement or related industries as a result of the 


113 


development. This is considered to be a positive significant impact as the effect 

will be long term and directly or indirectly will impact a wide cross-section of 

persons all across the country. 

Mitigation: No mitigation will be considered for this positive impact. 

8.2 Impact during the Operation Phase: 

The potential effects of the proposed development during operation can be divided as 

follows: 

� Impacts on air quality as a result of emissions from the cement production process 

and dust from the quarry activities and crushing and grinding processes. Also, 

international scale impacts as a result of the emissions of greenhouse gases from the 

production process. 

� Impacts associated with noise, particularly the impact of noise on nearby human 

receptors. 

� Impacts of the plant and quarries by changes to the landscape and visual impacts. 

� Impacts on the local ecology by the loss of habitat taken by the development and 

impacts associated with the operations on the surrounding ecology. 

� Impact on the surface water regime (hydrology) by changes to the natural drainage of 

the landscape within the development area and potential emissions of fine particles 

(suspended solids) into the water as a result of the industrial activities. Potential 

release of contaminated effluents into the surface water drainage. Also, impact on the 

underground water, called groundwater (hydrogeology) as a result of extraction of 

raw materials for use in the industrial process. 

� Use of significant volumes of raw materials and the production of waste on an 

industrial scale. 

� Impacts of transport. 

Each of these potential issues is addressed in the following sections: 

8.2.1 Effects on Local Air Quality 

A detailed study of the potential atmospheric emissions from the proposed cement 

works was undertaken for the proposed development. This study addressed the 

emissions to air which may occur during the normal operation of the cement kiln, 

as well as the minor emissions of fine particulate matter from other process 

stacks. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of these emissions in terms 

of ground level pollutant concentrations at ground level. These changes in local 

air quality were then compared with the Jamaica air quality criteria and National 

Environment Plan Agency (NEPA) guidelines as well as the Inter-America 

Development Bank (AIDB) guidelines. 


114 


The emissions to the atmosphere were modeled using the latest version of the US 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) atmospheric dispersion model 

AERMOD. This is internationally recognized as an advanced dispersion model 

and is widely used in industrial regulation. The model was used with four years of 

meteorological data from a nearby representative location. The AERMOD model 

takes account of the influence of major buildings and local terrain on the 

dispersion of atmospheric emissions. The latter feature of the model is of 

particular relevance given the location of the proposed plant on a plateau above 

the town of Free Town, not far from a ridge of higher ground forming part of the 

foothills of the mountainous region inland. 

The assessment focused on the locations of local residential areas (sensitive 

receptors) where individuals may be exposed for relevant time periods according 

to the air quality criteria. The wider surrounding area was also modeled in order 

to generate graphical results which demonstrate the maximum effects due to the 

plant. These maximum concentrations occur in the uninhabited areas on higher 

ground in the surrounding area. 

It was concluded that at all sensitive receptors, the maximum changes in sulphur 

dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter and annual average nitrogen dioxide 

concentrations due to plant operation are a small fraction of the relevant air 

quality criteria, and future air quality will remain well within these criteria. The 

principal emission from the cement kiln is oxides of nitrogen. 

Given the likely very good existing background air quality in these largely rural 

locations, air quality will remain well within the hourly limit value. 

The overall conclusion from the dispersion modeling study is that when the plant 

is in operation future air quality will be well within the NEPA limits and AIDB 

guidelines specified for the protection of human health. These limits are set well 

below the levels at which there are any observable effects on human health or 

respiratory function in order to protect vulnerable individuals within the 

population. On that basis, it is concluded that there will be no adverse health 

effects in the local population due to the operation of the cement plant. 

Screening level assessments of the potential impact from dust emissions from the 

quarry areas and the potential for pollution from traffic movements associated 

with the operational phase of the development were also undertaken. Both of 

these assessments indicated that there will be no significant effects on air quality 

either as a result of dust emissions from the quarries or due to vehicle emissions. 


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8.2.2 Emissions of Greenhouse Gases 

An assessment of the potential emissions of greenhouse gases from the proposed 

installation has been undertaken. The assessment concentrated on the main 

greenhouse gas emission which will be released, which is carbon dioxide. No 

other significant sources of greenhouse gas are likely to be released as a result of 

the proposed operations. As with all cement manufacturing processes, large 

volumes of carbon dioxide are releases as a result of the chemical reactions taking 

place during manufacture of clinker. In addition, the burning of large volumes of 

solid fossil fuels to drive the process leads to the release of significant volumes of 

carbon dioxide. Finally, energy is used to drive auxiliary processes associated 

with cement manufacture. The energy is delivered as electricity and as in this 

case is generated on site rather than often derived from outside sources. Most of 

Jamaica’s electricity is diesel generated power. Diesel generated power involves 

the production of carbon dioxide similar as coal generated power. The 

greenhouse gas assessment has taken this into account. However, because of 

problems with power supply within the country of Jamaica, it is likely that, in the 

short, current, and medium term, insufficient electricity is available for the new 

cement production line and, Jamaica, being an island country cannot import 

electricity from surrounding countries. 

In the cement plant design, a 9 MW cogeneration power plant is adopted to 

recover the hot waste gas from pyro system, which will provide about one third of 

the electricity consumed in cement manufacture. The rest of the electricity for 

cement production will be provided by a coal power plant associated with the 

cement plant. 

The greenhouse gas assessment indicated that the proposed technology has been 

designed to minimize CO2 emissions and is in line with the guidelines for the best 

available techniques for cement manufacture. Since the cement will be produced 

locally and used for infrastructure development within the country, this will 

reduce the greenhouse gases produced to transport cement into the country. 

In order to ensure that once operational the cement production process is as 

energy efficient as possible, the operator will be required to conduct a detailed 

energy survey 2 years after the plant is fully operational. The aim of the 

assessment will be to ensure that the plant is operating as efficiently as possible in 

order to reduce the carbon footprint of the plant operations. This requirement has 

been written into the Operational Environmental and Social Monitoring Plan. 

Additionally, during operation Cement Jamaica Limited will review the market 

conditions to identify whether further energy saving technologies could be 


116 


installed at the site, in particular with view to burn the bagasse partially in cement 

plant and power plant, as well as install wind power or solar power in the future. 

8.2.3 Other Operational Effects 

8.2.3.1 Noise: At the time of undertaking this assessment measured 

ambient noise data were not available for the local area, and only limited 

information was available on noise levels from the processing plant, traffic 

and quarrying activities. Since this time, however, the noise study has 

been completed and can be found in APPENDIX 7. 

Traffic data has been used to estimate the likely ambient noise levels at 

noise sensitive receptors and noise source levels for a similar plant in 

China have been used as the basis for the impact assessment. Using this 

approach it can be estimated that noise levels generated from the cement 

production plant are unlikely to cause disturbance in any of the nearby 

communities during the evening or night. There may be some disturbance 

during the daytime at the communities nearest to the quarrying activities. 

This disturbance would be greatest when the quarrying activities are 

closest to the communities, and before the depth of the quarry provides 

natural screening of noise to these communities. 

Changes in traffic on the local road network when the plant is operational 

would not give rise to perceptible changes in noise. Properties near the 

new link roads may be affected by increases in noise from traffic using 

them. 

Vibration is unlikely to be perceptible from any aspect of the project. The 

company has committed to implement appropriate noise management 

practices in all aspects of the design and operation of the cement plant, 

quarry and transport. 

A covered conveyor belt with about 2000 meter in length will be built for 

crushed limestone and clay transportation from the crusher station in 

limestone quarry to cement plant site. It will be designed away from the 

resident houses and running with crusher in daytime only. The conveyor 

belt operation, comparing with road transport, will be with much less CO2 

emission and dust emission, low noise and low vibration. It will also 

reduce the local road transport load extremely. 


117 


In the future, another conveyor belt for coal transportation and pneumatic 

pipeline transportation for bulk cement will be considered from port to the 

cement plant, which will improve the environment impact significantly. 

A key area of potential noise and vibration emissions is the blasting 

associated with the limestone quarry. Note there will be no blasting at the 

clay quarry. In order to minimize impact of blasting at the limestone 

quarry, the operator will use internationally recognized techniques of 

sequential blasting in order to minimize the blast wave and therefore 

reduce any impact of the blasting. Also, blasting will be kept to a 

minimum and limited to the daytime. Finally, due to the unique nature of 

the limestone found at Rose Hall, alternative mining techniques, such as 

ripping, shall be employed to minimize the frequency of blasting. 

8.2.3.2 Landscape and Visual: The landscape and visual impacts will be: 

� Change in land cover, use and character, including an increased 

intensity of activity; 

� Visual impact of night time lighting, including the movement 

of vehicles at night and the provision of above ground utilities; 

� Visual impact of the movement of works vehicles and 

commuter traffic to, from and within the site; 

8.2.3.3 Ecology: To reduce impacts on the local ecology as a result of 

increased human presence, disturbance and exploitation, an educational 

program is recommended to inform employees and their families of legal 

requirements and responsibilities towards wildlife. This should be 

conducted in a participatory manner since many of the local population 

may already be well-informed on the renewable natural resources of the 

area and be a useful source of knowledge. The environmental educational 

programme could be conducted / facilitated by the on-site ecologist and/or 

horticulturalist. 

8.2.3.4 Ground, Surface Water: The operation of the facility will 

incorporate measures to prevent releases to ground, surface water and 

groundwater. Present, indications are that these will be appropriate to the 

nature and scale of the installation and that significant impacts should not 

occur. Cement Jamaica has obtained the permit from JB Ethanol to 

provide groundwater from its existing water well nearby for use in the 

industrial activities. 


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Information available indicates that the existing groundwater reserves will 

meet the exploitation rate for water supply and cement production 

purposes. 

8.2.3.5 Raw Material Use and Waste Management: The bulk of the 

raw materials used in the production process will be obtained locally from 

the limestone and clay quarries. Available information indicates that the 

company has thoroughly investigated the nature of the raw material 

reserves and that there should be no issues associated with the use of in 

appropriate raw materials leading to significant emissions to air from the 

process. Further, on line testing in the production process will ensure that 

no unsuitable materials will enter the process. The process produces very 

little waste and that which is produced will be recycled back into the 

process. 

Waste effluent produced from domestic activities will be treated using a 

package treatment plant which will be permanently situated at the site and 

will be operational before the peak of the construction activities. The 

treatment plant will be designed to take into account the load placed 

during the maximum number of persons on site. Design details of this 

plant were being discussed at the time of writing and will comply with the 

standard GB8978-1996. 

Review of the available information of the sewage treatment package 

indicates that the design is appropriate to the load which will potentially 

be placed upon it. As part of the management programme, the operator is 

required to submit the final design, location of discharge point and 

potential impacts, if any, of the discharge. 

8.2.3.6 Transport: Access to the plant area will be achieved through a 

3500 meter road from Highway2000 to Windalco Port. This is clearly an 

easy connection especially for heavy vehicles both from the geometric and 

road safety point of view. 

A second access to the limestone quarry locations is provided through a 

new road to be constructed, which will be considered together with the 

belt conveyor arrangement. 

It is anticipated that the traffic generated by the construction phase will not 

have significant impact on current volumes of traffic that use the main 

arterial highways and the local routes. However, the level of disruption is 


119 


not expected to be significant and it should be noted that most of heavy 

transportation connected with ground works will not leave the plant, as 

excavation material will be stored within the limits of the site area. 

The raw materials of limestone and clay will be transported to the cement 

plant via a 1,500 meter belt conveyor between the two quarries and the 

plant. Clay will be transported in 20 ton trucks, and will seek to uuuse 

routes that will avoid residential areas, the clay truck will be covered with 

tarp in operation, it is not expected that there will be any public exposure 

to emissions from these vehicles. 

The production of 5,000 tons of product per day will necessitate 138 

movements of 40 ton trucks. In order to supply the factory with raw 

materials (including red mud, gypsum and coal, which will be transported 

with 40 tonne truck into cement plant.) it is estimated that 1,683 tons of 

freight will be entering the plant per day in average – the equivalent of 

approximately 42 truck movements per day. 

In total, 180 truck trips per day will be needed to adequately serve the 

factory in the period of full production. This figure is multiplied by 1.3 to 

provide for future growth and coverage of production peaks. The resulting 

figure comes up to 234 truck trips per day or an hourly demand of 30 truck 

trips (for a 8 hour period). This figure translates to one truck movement 

every 2 minutes in each direction. In conclusion, the maximum traffic 

demand in and out of the factory is estimated to come up to 120 private 

cars and 40 heavy vehicles (buses and trucks) for the peak hour per 

direction. The safety issues to the local communities associated with the 

development of the roads has been assessed as part of a Transport Safety 

Study, the results of which are discussed in the ‘Social and Economic 

Issues’ section below. 

The impacts of the plant operation on the port infrastructure would be the 

exclusive dedication of 47.4 % of the Windalco Pier to the plant needs. 

The Bauxite operation will take another 26.3% of port occupancy level. 

The total port occupancy level is 74%. As a result the Windalco Port will 

receive considerable income. 


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8.3 Impacts during Decommissioning Phase: 

8.3.1 No detailed assessment of environmental impacts associated with 

decommissioning can be made at present. The plant has an expected lifespan of 

over 50 years and so only general principles can be established at the present 

time. 

8.3.2 In broad terms, the process of decommissioning is likely to give rise to 

impacts similar to those experienced in the construction phase. The methods and 

techniques selected are expected to be in accordance with national and 

international standards prevailing at the time of decommissioning. 

8.3.3 Decommissioning will require the following activities: 

8.3.3.1 Removal of all surface equipment and units; 

8.3.3.2 Potential removal of hard standing and surface cover; 

8.3.3.3 Abandonment of sub-surface utilities or filling and abandonment 

as appropriate; 

8.3.3.4 Reinstatement of the site and all project areas to pre-construction 

conditions. With regards to the rehabilitation of the quarries during 

operation, the works shall be conducted on an on-going basis in 

accordance with the accepted timetable set out in the planning proposals to 

the Jamaican authorities. 

8.3.3.5 For the cement plant, Jamaica Cement Limited will develop a site 

closure plan during the later stages of project design and maintain the plan 

throughout the life of the development. The plan should include 

arrangements for decommissioning the plant in a manner which avoids 

any pollution and return the site to an acceptable state. In addition any 

decommissioning plan should take into account the social and economic 

impacts and include mitigation measures where necessary. 

8.3.3.6 The opportunities the site provides for long term biodiversity 

conservation purposes should be investigated as part of the site closure 

plan. There are no identified sites of ecological significance outside the 

main development areas that should be affected by decommissioning 

activities, though consideration will need to be given as to the long term 

use of the access roads to the two quarries. This will depend on their 

future use. It may be necessary to remove the roads and “re-instate” the 

ground and vegetation, but maintaining vehicle access or foot access only 

are also possibilities. 

8.3.3.7 The site closure plan and preceding rehabilitation plans will need 

to be reviewed and updated in the light of experience with implementing 

the ecological mitigation and compensation measures – especially the 

“Habitat Restoration” proposals. These habitat restoration activities will 


121 


need to be monitored, during the course of the project, so that lessons can 

be learned and applied prior to and at the time of final site closure. 

8.3.3.8 Overall, decommissioning activities are transitory, and are likely to 

be similar in magnitude to construction impacts. 

Once a permit is granted for the proposed development and before site preparation and 

construction activities begin, a detailed Monitoring Program will be prepared for submission to 

NEPA, for approval. The Monitoring Program should include the following components; an 

inspection protocol; parameters to be monitored; frequency of monitoring and reporting 

procedures. The duration of the monitoring program should be for the entire construction period, 

with monthly reporting. The detailed Monitoring Program is best prepared after the permit is 

received as this would allow for the Terms and Conditions of the permit to be taken into 

consideration, and included in the monitoring program as appropriate. 

In summary, the main potential environmental effects resulting from the development are likely 

to be associated with the following: 

• Loss of local habitat: The plant site is located in an existing industrial complex and 

mining operations (by others) have already taken place on a small scale at both the 

limestone and clay quarries. Therefore, it is possible with appropriate management of the 

surrounding area, an improvement to the local ecological conditions could actually be 

made – especially considering CJL’s planned use of existing waste materials such as red 

mud from the bauxite industry. 

• Visual impact: The scale of the construction and operation of the cement plant and local 

quarries will certainly have a visual impact. Significant impacts, however, can be 

mitigated by means of the plant design and mining plans, including re-vegetation means 

and methods. 

• Noise impacts: Local noise impacts will dominate particularly during the construction 

phase. Baseline noise testing performed by CJL suggests that the noise impact of the 

plant during operation is likely to be negligible at the plant perimeter. However, noise 

impacts of the quarries, particularly the limestone quarry blasting will be intermittently 

significant. This impact, together with the noise impact from increased traffic, can be 

mitigated through proper design of blasting techniques and modernization of existing 

highway and the construction of new roadways. 

• Air Emissions: There will be impacts to both local air emissions and international 

greenhouse gas emissions, but full compliance with national and international standards 

will be maintained. 

• Releases to ground, surface water and groundwater: The development will not have any 

routine discharges. However, emissions to ground, surface water and groundwater may 


122 


occur in the absence of proper controls during all phases of the development 

(construction, operation and decommissioning). 

• Traffic and Congestion: It is anticipated that the traffic generated by the construction 

phase will not have a significant impact on current volumes of traffic that use the main 

arterial highways because the vast majority of cargo will be limited to local routes, 

especially Windalco Private Road leading to Port Esquivel. 

• Groundwork Disruption: The plant site is fairly level. Therefore, the amount of 

groundwork disruption on the plant site is not expected to be significant and it should be 

noted that most of the heavy transportation connected with groundworks will not leave 

the plant, as excavated material will be stored within the limits of the site area. 

• Socio-Economic Impacts: These impacts will be both local and regional and both 

positive and negative. However, negative socio-economic impacts will only be local and 

only during the construction period due to the cultural interactions between the local 

Jamaicans and the foreign visitors. Thereafter, there should be increase employment 

opportunities for Jamaicans and a strengthen construction industry for Jamaicans. 

The detailed summary of these effects, the mitigation measures, and the environmental 

monitoring plans are found in the following TABLE 8.4. 


123 


Summary of Construction Phase Impacts and Proposed Mitigation Measures 

AIR 

Impact Proposed Mitigation Residual Impact Residual Impact Rating 

Air quality: 

Development of procedures for: 

Dust propagation will be limited to Minor adverse. 

- dust emissions during construction and -water spraying roads and dusty materials construction area and will not influence 

ground works. 

stockpiles 

local community. However workers will 

-sheeting vehicles carrying dusty materials be supplied with dust masks especially on 

GROUND AND WATER 

on leaving the site to prevent materials 

being blown from the vehicles 

-speed limits on unmade surfaces on site to 

limit dust. 

dry days. 


Ensure that pollutants are not present in Potential for importation of pollutants in Minor adverse. 

Importation of pollutants already present materials imported onto the site by the material will be minimized through 

within the materials to be used for filling appropriate selection of source material by Cemcorp’s specifications to EPC 

and site leveling operations. 

EPC Contractor and chemical analysis by Contractor and by monitoring by CJL 

CJL if required. 

project engineering team. 

Accidental release of fuels, oils, chemicals, Appropriate procedures and protocols to be Potential for accidental release during Minor adverse. 

hazardous materials, etc., to the ground, established and monitored for materials delivery of materials to the site will be 

especially in the construction lay-down delivery and handling to ensure there are minimized via written procedures and 

area, during delivery to the site. 

no spills. 

protocols. 



Accidental release of fuels, oils, chemicals, All storage areas will have appropriate Potential for accidental release of materials Minor adverse. 

liquid waste, hazardous materials, etc, to environmental security measures to during storage on the site will be 

the ground, especially in the construction 

lay-down area, during storage. 

prevent accidental release to ground. minimized. 

Accidental release of fuels, oils, chemicals, Appropriate procedures and protocols to be Potential for accidental release of materials Minor adverse. 

hazardous materials, etc, to the ground, established and monitored for materials during transport within and handling on 

especially in the construction lay-down 

area, during transport to the area of use. 

transport and handling whilst on the site. the site will be minimized. 


hazardous materials, etc, to the ground, established and monitored for materials during use will be minimized. 

during use, for example, re-fuelling, handling and use. Where possible, re- 

maintenance, etc. 

fuelling and maintenance areas will 

include some form of secondary 

containment. 

Accidental release of liquid wastes during Appropriate procedures and protocols to be Potential for accidental release of waste Minor adverse. 

removal from site. 

established and monitored for waste during removal from the site will be 

materials removal. 

minimized. 

Accidental discharge of sanitary 

Sanitary waste will not be discharged to None. Negligible/Nil. 

wastewater to ground and groundwater the ground. EPC Contractor will provide 

from the workers camp. 

modern Sewage Treatment Facilities. 


124 




Contamination of local water ways from Ensure that the plant complies with NEPA Potential for release of harmful of effluent Minor adverse. 

proposed effluent plant discharge. standards and international guidelines. if the facility is underspecified or not 

Final effluent should have no significant 

negative impact on the receiving water. 

The plant will be designed for the full load 

(1200 persons) during construction. 

managed correctly. 



Discharge of pollutants in water used for Washing activities will take place on areas Potential for accidental release of 

Minor adverse 

plant, equipment and vehicle washing to with appropriate containment and 

pollutants to the ground during washing 

ground. 

procedures and protocols will be 

established and monitored to ensure that 

the preventative measures are sufficient to 

meet NEPA effluent standards. 

activities will be minimized. 

Increase of sediment load in natural Minimization of excavations face during None. Negligible. 

aquatic receptors resulting from direct construction Temporary drainage grooves 

runoff disposal. 

and sedimentation ponds for surface runoff 

collection. Note: EPC Contractor to 

design for tropical climate and impacts of 

hurricanes. The topography is nearly flat. 

Natural aquatic receptors degradation due 

to direct disposal of domestic type 

wastewater. 

Construction of appropriate sewage system 

and wastewater treatment facility by EPC 

Contractor. Effluent if any will meet 

NEPA standards. 

None. Negligible. 

Groundwater contamination from leakage Usage of non-hazardous construction None. Negligible. 

of polluting substances. 

materials for human health and 

environmental protection. Storage of 

potential polluting materials in appropriate 

areas, including secondary containment. 

Any contaminated land occurred during 

construction will be directly removed and 

disposed of in accordance with local 

regulations for waste disposal. 


125 


MATERIALS USE AND WASTE MANAGEMENT 

Impact Proposed Mitigation Residual Impact 

Waste generation. Introduction of waste storage and control procedures Waste for disposal will be disposed of at an approved 

Segregation and recycling of waste by EPC Contractor 

into metal components, plastics, glass separately. 

waste disposal site. 

ECOLOGY 


Rose Hall and Clarendon/St. Catherine Areas 

– Cement Plant and Quarry Sites: 

Loss of vegetation on site Vegetation loss cannot be avoided, but 

Clearance. successful restoration, improvement and long term 

management of the surrounding areas for conservation and 

productive uses will provide significant compensation. It 

should be noted that most of the identified lands at the 

Port Esquivel Industrial Complex, Rose Hall, and 

Tarentum are already highly disturbed. 

Further land take (habitat loss) for temporary Construction 

Camp. 

Build temporary construction camp on land that will in 

due course be re-used for bagged cement storage. EPC 

Contractor/Cemcorp will also restore, wherever possible 

to green areas such as the planting fruit trees. 


No additional impact since land take would occur anyway 

at Plant site. 

Destruction of fauna and habitat for Further ecological/fauna survey at Moving fauna to neighboring sites may 

fauna (mammals, birds, reptiles, appropriate seasons and translocations help short-term survival, but not 

amphibians, invertebrates). monitored by the company specialist. medium-term if these sites are already occupied. In longterm 

populations may recover on restored sites. 

ECOLOGY 


Increase in exploitative pressures on Conduct and implement “Habitat Survey With co-operation of local community and Moderate to substantial beneficial. 

habitats neighboring the sites. 

and Management Study”, in close 

project providing alternative source of 

consultation with local communities. income, habitats should be improved. 

On ecology of surrounding area by Education, monitoring and enforcement Implementation may be difficult and some Minor adverse (subject to implementation 

temporary foreign workforce as a result of program. Adequate waste management and impact can be expected. 

and enforcement). 

removal of vegetation and the 

sanitation facilities. No permits will be 

displacement of wildlife. 

provided to EPC Contractor for any 

burning.

126 


LANDSCAPE & VISUAL 


Damage to the landscape character and Sensitive planning of site works and Some exposure to alteration of the Minor adverse impact. 

visual amenity due to introduction of worker’s compound. Advanced structure landscape character and loss of visual 

incongruous features and activities. planning. Minimize lighting and night time amenity, predominantly due to out-of-site 

workings. 

activity. Again, existing site view from 

Highway 2000 is highly disturbed. 

NOISE AND VIBRATION (incorporating Transport) 


Noise from construction of new plant/quarry and link Good site management; Appropriate choice of machinery; A baseline noise study has been completed, but further 

roads. 

Methods of working; Hours of working; Efficient material study may be needed to predict whether there may be 

handling. Goods will be imported through Port Esquivel. noise increases at nearby residential properties. 

NOISE AND VIBRATION (incorporating Transport) 


Noise from traffic relating to construction using existing Define access routes to the site with the smallest number There may be noise increases at residential properties in 

roads through local residential areas. 

of properties in proximity to it. Keep vehicle movements proximity to the chosen access route, and then from the 

to a minimum. Once link roads are completed, all 

construction traffic to/from the site should only use the 

link roads. 

link roads once completed. 

SOCIAL 


Foreign worker health problems may 

impact on work and wage payment. 

Specification by EPC Contractor of 

reasonable sickness benefits and sick leave 

with pay. 

Sickness over specified period may affect 

earnings. Early return to work may damage 

health. 

Minor adverse. 

Worker -industrial emergency. Prearranged quality curative treatment in 

May Pen Hospital for all emergencies. 

Depends on nature of emergency. Minor adverse. 

Foreign worker living conditions and EPC Contractor will provide detailed Depends on individual worker 

Minor / Moderate adverse. 

quality of life. Utility and service provision specification of camp layout, facilities, and susceptibility. If conditions are poor 

impacts on local villages. 

utility provision (and disposal) in 

multitude of issues could arise in camp and 

accordance with identified international 

standards. CJL to monitor health and 

safety and terms and conditions of 

employment. To do this a foreign language 

speaker should be part of the team. 

spill into local communities. 

Disturbance and conflict in camp. In-camp codes of conduct and enforcement 

of key behaviors and reasonable use of 

alcohol shall be required. 

None identified. Minor adverse. 

Disturbance and /or conflict with local Camp code of conduct upheld by workers Some residual impact expected but scale Minor / Moderate adverse. 

population. 

and enforced by camp. Provision of limited by worker free time, and local 

employment and opportunities to local interaction with camp, especially if 

population to minimize hostility. 

“Liaison Committee” is formed early. 


127 


SOCIAL 


Opportunities for local procurement CJL to arrange initial contacts and 

May vary from negligible to moderate 

encourage EPC Contractor to maximize EPC Contractor will commit to do it. beneficial depending on the effort and 

local procurement. 

incentives. 

SOCIAL 


Potential for increased incidence of Preventative health awareness campaigns Difficult to identify cause or source of Moderate adverse. 

sexually transferable disease (STD) in for STDs provided to foreign workers and such disease as this is commonly hidden 

local populations and amongst workers. targeted at key urban locations / groups. and poorly reported. However some 

Provision of free condoms in pharmacies disease may be spread and curative 

and toilets or similar common access treatment may be required for the different 

facility. EPC Contractor will provide diseases, in case of HIV this would be of a 

health checks and immunizations before 

expatriation. 

long term nature. 


128 


Summary of Operational Phase Impacts and Proposed Mitigation Measures 

AIR QUALITY 

Environmental Impact Proposed Mitigation Residual Impact Residual Impact Rating 

Release of combustion gas emissions from Equipment design and primary operational Local air emissions will be based on IDB Not significant. 

the kiln stack. 

management control techniques. 

and IFC Guidelines for the protection of 

human health at all emission point sources. 

On that basis, it is concluded that there will 

be no adverse health effects in the local 

population due to the operation of the 

cement plant. 

Release of particulate emissions from the Bag filters – dust abatement using very 

kiln, the clinker cooler, the coal mill and stringent 30 mg/Nm 

the cement mill. 

3 Local air quality will be virtually 

Negligible. 

standard. 

unaffected in Clarendon/St. Catherine and 

will be based IFC Guidelines for the 

protection of human health. Licenses 

issued on 3-year basis. 

Release of dust emissions from the quarry Use of best practice management 

It is unlikely that there will be any Negligible. 

operations. 

techniques during extraction and loading discernable adverse effect due to dust 

of raw materials. 

deposition at any residential properties. 

Release of combustion emissions from Use of new, efficient vehicles, driver Localized minor effects on air quality at Moderate. 

transport associated with transport of training to minimize emissions (e.g. properties very close to certain roads, but 

materials to and from the site. 

prevention of over revving, shut off increments a very small fraction of air 

engines when vehicles not in use), quality criteria. Given the volume of 

rationalization of traffic management trucks, however, impact is Moderately 

system to optimize transport efficiency. adverse. 

SURFACE WATER AND GROUNDWATER 

Environmental Impact Proposed Mitigation Residual Impact 

Increase of sediment content in surface waters due to For cement plant: Storm water management through None. 

fugitive dust dispersion. 

ditches and/or gutters and settlement ponds. For quarries: 

Quarry face will be kept minimal. Gradual rehabilitation 

(through landscaping and planting) of the locations where 

extraction works have been completed. Storm water 

management through peripheral ditches and settlement 

pond. 

Degradation of surface waters quality due to process water 

direct disposal or leakage of polluting materials. 

For cement plant: Process water circulation is closed 

circuit including settlement tank for treatment. Storage of 

fuels for cement production in enclosed storage area. 

Tidying the plant on regular basis with mechanical 

sweepers removing dust collected on the streets and 

gutters. Thorough washing of surfaces in case of polluting 

materials spillages and further processing of collected 

washings as special waste. For quarries: special 

considerations for clay quarry. Preventative Maintenance 

of quarry equipment, protocols and procedures. 


None. Appropriate collection and transportation of 

potential polluting materials (e.g. spent oils, lubricants, 

etc.).

129 




Pollution of surface water due to release of 

The sewage treatment system will be sized for peak None. 

harmful/untreated sewage. 

demand during construction phase and therefore will cope 

with the demands during operational phase. No hazardous 

liquids will be released in to the sewage treatment system. 

The provision of a large balancing tank before final 

release will act as a storage unit in the event of accidental 

release into the sewage system. 

Soil Erosion. For cement plant: EPC Contractor to design proper 

drainage system consistent with Seasonal Hurricanes. For 

quarries: Proper Drainage design by EPC Contractor as 

well as Gradual rehabilitation of locations where 

extraction works have been completed. 

Soil erosion will be limited on-site the quarries. 

Ground and Groundwater contamination. For cement plant and quarries: Secondary containment for 

potential polluting materials. Any contaminated land 

removal and disposal in accordance with local and general 

international requirements. 

Potential contamination will be limited on-site. 


130 




Groundwater depletion. For cement plant and quarries: groundwater reserves are Existing groundwater reserves exploitation rate for water 

considered adequate based on existing capacities at Port supply and irrigation purposes, exceeds by far water 

Esquivel Industrial Complex, especially due to low 

usage/high availability of the port. Abstraction rates will, 

at all times, be kept in accordance with Jamaican 

Underground Water Authority. 

requirements for cement production. 

LAND QUALITY 


Appropriate procedures and protocols to be Potential for accidental release during Minor adverse. 

Accidental release of fuels, oils, chemicals, established and monitored for materials delivery of materials to the site will be 

hazardous materials, etc, to the ground delivery and handling. CJL and EPC minimized. 

during delivery to the site. 

Contractor will have, at all times, clean up 

kits available. 

Accidental release of fuels, oils, chemicals, All storage areas will have appropriate Potential for accidental release of materials Minor adverse. 

liquid waste, hazardous materials, etc, to environmental security measures to during storage on the site will be 

the ground during storage. 

prevent accidental release to ground. EPC 

Contractor to design the plant for 

berms/perimental retainer walls that are 

designed for 1.5 times the capacity of any 

such storage tanks. 

minimized. 


hazardous materials, etc, to the ground established and monitored for materials during transport within and handling on 

during transport to the area of use. transport and handling whilst on the site. the site will be minimized. 

LAND QUALITY 



hazardous materials, etc, to the ground, established and monitored for materials during use will be minimized. 

during use, for example, re-fuelling, handling and use. Where possible, re- 

maintenance, etc. 

fuelling and maintenance areas will 

include some form of secondary 

containment. 

Accidental release of liquid wastes during Appropriate procedures and protocols to be Potential for accidental release of waste Minor adverse. 

removal from site. 

established and monitored for waste during removal from the site will be 

materials removal. 

minimized. 

Accidental discharge of sanitary 

Sanitary wastewater will not be discharged None. Negligible/Nil. 

wastewater and wastewater to ground to the ground. Wastewater sumps and pits 

will be properly designed. Pipe-work will 

be inspected periodically by CJL and EPC 

Contractor will exhaust all means to 

recycle water wherever possible. 


131 


LAND QUALITY 


Discharge of pollutants in water used for Washing activities will take place on areas Potential for accidental release of 


plant, equipment and vehicle washing to with proper drainage systems with pollutants to the ground during washing 

ground. 

containment and treatment. Again, EPC activities will be minimized by proper 

Contractor will exhaust all means to 

recycle water wherever possible. Effluent, 

if any, will meet NEPA standards. 

design by EPC Contractor and use by CJL. 

ENERGY AND GREENHOUSE GAS BALANCE 


Use of solid fuels and direct and indirect greenhouse gas Ensure that combustion and processing is as efficient and Emissions of greenhouse gases. 

emissions. 

in full compliance with IDB’s requirements for 820 kg 

CO2/tone clinker and maintenance and monitoring by 

CJL. 

MATERIALS USE AND WASTE MANAGMENT 


Storage of solid and liquid wastes. Inspection of all waste storage areas to ensure appropriate 

identification, segregation, and containment. 

Potential releases into the environment. 

Waste management. Arrangement of all solid waste management licenses and Waste management will be covered by internal procedures 

permits. Establishment of waste management 

and will be regulated through local NEPA regulations. 

disposal/recycling techniques and appropriate 

Increased quantity of waste will be disposed of off-site. 

choice/negotiation of contractor by CJL. Establishment of CJL will monitor its procedures to increase or maximize 

filter dust handling procedures and choice of the 

recycling/reuse of any waste generated, including firing in 

contractors. Hazardous waste disposal techniques to be 

established. Review of waste minimization and recycling 

options for all wastes will be exhausted by EPC 

Contractor. 

the cement manufacturing process and composting. 

ECOLOGY 


Clarendon/St. Catherine/Rose Hall Areas – Cement Plant and Quarry Sites 

Dust deposition on leaves leading to loss 

of vegetation productivity and health. 

The planting of tree lines by EPC 

Contractor during the construction phase to 

provide local screening in accordance with 

EnviroPlanner Limited’s recommendation 

as a means to reduce dust emissions at the 

source. CJL will ensure that the trees are 

planted to aid in the prevention of dust 

accumulation on foliage outside the plant. 

Some dust emissions at the quarry sites, 

associated with blasting etc, are inevitable, 

but emissions and impacts can be kept to 

an acceptable level by use of latest 

technologies and best working practices. 

Mining plan and procedures to be 

implemented per the recommendations and 

approval by EnviroPlanners Limited. 


Minor Adverse.

132 


ECOLOGY 


In-plant roads will be paved by EPC Some impact is inevitable, but CJL will Minor Adverse. 

Productivity and quality of vegetation for Contractor. Quarry access roads will be make it a priority. 

herbivores reduced. 

gravel and will be periodically wetted by 

CJL to minimize any impact. 

Disturbance of wildlife by noise. Reduced at source and less than 60 dBa at The project site is highly disturbed so more Minor Adverse. 

the plant fence. 

sensitive species have already avoided the 

project areas. However, alternative areas 

for the wildlife will be created by CJL, 

such as the planting of fruit-bearing trees 

in strategic areas (sanctuaries). 

Disturbance of wildlife by human presence Environmental educational program. On- There should be some habituation to Minor Adverse. 

and activities. 

site ecologist by CJL. 

human presence by some wildlife, but 

more sensitive species may avoid the 

project areas. Again, the existing plant site 

is already highly disturbed. 

Wildlife “Road-Kills” along access roads. Ecological Survey. Ecological Method With compliance, road-kills should be Minor Adverse. 

Statement. Road Warning Signs. Driver 

Briefings. 

reduced but some are still inevitable. 

LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL 


Damage to the landscape character and Proper design of light sources by 

Some exposure to alteration of the Minor to moderate adverse impact. 

visual amenity due to introduction of establishing an effective balance between landscape character and loss of visual 

incongruous features and activities. safety/security and environmental 

amenity, predominantly due to off -site 

sensitivity. Sensitive and uniform (paint 

specifications) coloration of cement plant 

and vehicles. Minimize the time between 

working and restoration phase of quarry. 

quarry activities. 

TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT 


Increased heavy vehicles traffic both Maximize the use of the rail network for The traffic has the potential to contribute Minor Adverse. 

locally and nationally. 

bulk deliveries and abnormal loads. to congestion and lead to complaints due to 

Restricting delivery hours to reduce noise noise/vibration nuisance on a local basis. 

nuisance; avoid heavy truck movements in However, the transport study indicates that 

the night hours will be considered whether 

deliveries should be scheduled to avoid 

peak times to reduce congestion; Heavy 

construction traffic will be subject to a 

traffic management plan, as necessary. 

there will not be a significant impact. 


133 


NOISE AND VIBRATION 


Noise from cement plant. None recommended unless the plant and None expected. 

various installations differ significantly 

from similar established cement plants 

used as a reference. 

Nil. Less than 60 dBA. 

Noise from quarrying activities Good site management; Appropriate There may be noise increases at residential 

choice of machinery; Methods of working; properties in proximity to the quarry site 

Hours of working; Efficient material 

handling. EPC Contractor to design proper 

primary crusher building with barriers or 

baffles. 

boundary. 

Minor Adverse. 

NOISE AND VIBRATION 


Noise from increases in traffic on the local For the cement plant, no proposed None expected on existing roads. Noise 

and wider road networks. 

mitigation efforts are recommended on level increase possible for residential 

existing Windalco road due to no predicted properties in proximity to the new link 

perceptible increases in noise levels due to roads. 

the extra traffic. However, for the clay 

quarry trucks, CJL will design and install a 

new road to be diverted away from the 

Parochial Road Foothill Community on to 

Bodles where population density is 

significantly lower. 

Minor Adverse. 

Noise from traffic on new link roads. Again, CJL will design and install a new There may be minor noise increases at 

road to be diverted away from the residential properties in proximity to the 

Limestone Quarry Foothill Community 

onto Bodles where population density is 

significantly lower. 

link roads alignments. Minor Adverse. 

SOCIAL 


Increased Employment. Measures to maximize local employment. This depends on skills of the people. Major beneficial. 

(positive change) Recommended: 

• Local recruitment and training. 

• Prioritization of employment of Project 

Affected People (PAP's) 

• Identification of targets of local people to 

be employed by skill levels. 

• Publication of local employment 

opportunities and Re-employment of 

people layed-off from Bauxite Plants. 

Enhanced apprenticeship / training for 

some local people whose skills could be 

improved including Recruitment policy to 

extend in future to limited sponsorship 

BSc (or equivalent) for workers / local 

people children. 


134 


SOCIAL 


Increased National Budget and secondary 

impact on local Clarendon/St. Catherine 

Residual Impact Rating 

Increased National tax and budget Assistance to villages to formulate Communities. Major beneficial. 

(positive change). projects and strengthen advocacy. Money Residual impact will depend on 

from improved budget can be used to effectiveness of allocation process in favor 

realize these objectives. CJL may be of affected villages. A ineffective process 

prevailed on to offer skills training for 

improved planning & project formulation. 

would cause conflict / discontent. 

CJL will be self-sufficient from the Potential positive impact on visual impacts Neutral / Minor beneficial. 

Electrical and other infrastructure 

improvements (neutral or positive if 

realized). 

National Grid so there is no mitigation. 

On the contrary, CJL may be able to also 

supply excess power to the National Grid 

via JPS. This will have benefit to Jamaica 

external to the project. 

due to infrastructure improvements. 

Loss or reduction of livelihoods for: Herb Confirmation of potential impact on The majority of the Project Affected Neutral / minor beneficial. 

and Vegetable Farmers (medium adverse) animal nutrition and impacts on production People (PAP’s) surveyed have indicated a 

Graziers (medium adverse). 

and budgetary implications by specialist preference for employment rather than 

and similarly for herbs and vegetable other forms of compensation. No 

farmers. Appropriate form of 

household will lose their livelihood, and 

compensation is needed for each affected the income from employment (full or part 

household. JCL to consider feasibility of time) of one or more household members, 

job share schemes, and gender sensitive or alternative compensation, should be 

arrangements (e.g. for child care 

sufficient to compensate for expected 

arrangements). Specific attention to be 

given to vulnerable households. 

reductions in the affected activities. 

SOCIAL 


Extended and Improved Road and Regulations relating to roadside and Improved opportunities should be seen Minor beneficial 

implications for local economy commercial activities to be adhered to by in increased opportunities and wealth of 

(minor/moderate beneficial). business persons and enforced by 

Community. Monitoring of health, road 

safety issues. Curative and preventive 

action to be taken if issues identified by 

monitoring. 

village. It may be difficult to apportion this 

only to the new road or cement works 

given the current increasingly dynamic 

economic environment. Residual impacts 

of noise and dust for local residents near 

the road and indirectly affected. 


135 


SOCIAL 


Loss of land and property for 4 -9 An appropriate compensation plan will be No negative residual impact should be Negligible / minor beneficial 

households and compensation developed and agreed upon. 

(minor beneficial / minor adverse) Compensation Plan & Framework 

Documents will be prepared. 

Hazards associated with development of 

new roads from main intersection to the 

cement plant and from the clay quarry to 

the cement plant. 

With regards to identified ‘high’ risks: 

-Design measures to ensure 

landslips/falling rocks do not cause 

accidents 

-Inclusions of pedestrian walkways and 

crossings 

-Lighting, particularly at intersections. 

-Planned access and parking. Risk of 

accident shall be reduced by 

implementation of education (road safety 

awareness) programs and liaison with the 

local communities as well as driver 

training programs and implementation of 

near-miss/accident reporting procedures. 

Communities to consider the need for 

additional safety bylaws or regulations for 

local businesses or schools near roads. 

incurred by Project Affected People 

(PAP’s). 

The assessment 

should include all applicable entitlements. 

Monitoring process to review and report. 

Some residual impact is expected ,but 

should be limited by implementation of 

aforementioned mitigation measures. 


Moderate adverse – possibly severe 

adverse if there is disregarded for safety 

issues by the road users. 

SOCIAL 


Roadside residents health and quality of Risk assessment to cover these aspects and Depends on both cases a) effectiveness of Minor/ moderate adverse. 

life. 

identify mitigation. Health records of dust monitoring undertaken b) corrective 

related disease to be maintained by local measures taken – depends on severity of 

health workers. Quality of life 

case e.g. treatment may not solve the 

questionnaire to monitor noise and problem – extreme health issue may 

disturbance (base line testing is already require re housing. However, numbers 

complete). Further mitigation to be involved are expected to be no more than 

decided on basis of noted impacts via 20 households at most though 

monitoring. 

consequences for individuals may be 

severe. 

Cultural and heritage site: (positive The culture and heritage sites will be more The Indigenous People (Tienos) are Minor beneficial (learning). 

impact) 

easily accessible by monitoring site believed to have resided here, but it cannot 

excavations. 

be proven until excavation.

136 


Summary of Site Closure Impacts and Mitigation Measures 


Emission prevention. Development of Site Closure Plan (see 

Minor Beneficial. 

mining plans). EPC Contractor will have Updated information on risks and 

the plant site closure plan for cement plant requirements will be made available at site 

construction in EPC Contractor’s 

construction plan. 

closure. 

Dust emissions during ground works. Water spraying roads. Sheeting vehicles Dust propagation will be limited to Minor adverse. 

carrying dusty materials Speed limits on demolition area and will not influence 

unmade surfaces. Dust emission 

local community. However, workers 

monitoring in selected points 

should be supplied with dust masks 

especially during dry days. 

Discharge of silty and contaminated storm Potentially polluting materials will be Ground contamination and storm water Minor adverse. 

water to surface water. Ground 

stored in dedicated storage areas. 

contamination will be limited on site by 

contamination by leakages from machines. Machines and equipment condition will be proper handling and storage of materials 

reviewed periodically. Machines and and equipment. Storm water will be treated 

equipment will be sited on hard surfaces. in sedimentation ponds, the impacts on 

All storm water will go via sedimentation overall quality of discharge wastewater 

ponds and oil separation procedures for 

finding contaminated material during 

excavations will be established. Covering 

and damping of excavated materials. 

Appropriate storage of contaminated 

material if found. 

will be minor. 


Emergency situations during 

decommissioning works. 

Local fire and emergency squads available 

on-site. Availability of CJL and 

contractor’s inspectors on site. 

Procedures for prevention and dealing with 

emergency situations will be implemented. 

Proper training and equipment need to be 

delivered to the staff. 


Social impacts. There will be job losses. An exit strategy should be devised to Plans to re-deploy workers will be Moderate adverse. 

minimize losses and assist re-employment. 

It should include options for retraining / 

early retirement / assistance in job searches 

and positioning / identification of jobs 

within the group and possible relocation 

assistance. 

developed. 


137 



Disturbance of bats or birds that may have Survey, translocation, demolition at Some disruption of breeding still possible Minor Adverse. 

colonized the cement plant structures. appropriate times of year. 

while adapting to new sites. 

Some loss of flora and fauna that are re- Some loss of flora and fauna that are re- Quarry Restoration Plan incorporating Depending on proposed future use of 

colonizing quarry. 

colonizing quarry. 

habitat creation and use of native species. quarry, habitat creation could lead to 

significant improvement for biodiversity 

over value when used as an active quarry. 

Damage to the landscape character and Restoration of the plant and quarry sites Return of the sites to existing to better than Minor beneficial. 

visual amenity due to introduction of 

incongruous features and activities. 

including a reforestation program. existing condition. 

Solid waste generation. Segregation and recycling of waste and Solid waste will be managed by local Minor adverse. 

proper storage in isolation from the waste contractors and disposed according 

ground. 

to their permits and in compliance with 

local regulations. 

Noise and emissions generated by Traffic management near plant. Use of rail Local traffic congestions problems Moderate adverse 

vehicles. 

traffic for bulk transportation for abnormal 

loads. 

avoided. 

Noise from decommissioning of plant and Good site management; Good choice of Until further details are known, it is not 

quarry. 

machinery; Methods of working, including possible to predict whether there may be 

sequential blasting; Hours of working; 

Efficient material handling; Construction 

of noise barrier or baffle or mound and 

maximizing site distances. 

noise increases at nearby residential 

properties. 

N/A 


138 


Construction Phase Environmental and Social Monitoring Plan 

Items Measures Responsibility Schedule 

Noise/vibration from construction traffic Ensure construction traffic only uses predetermined 

routes to access the sites until 

completion of the link roads. Once link roads 

are completed, all construction traffic to/from 

the site should only use the link roads. 

EPC Contractor During construction phase 

Dust Constant visual vigilance of dust issues Contractor/ EPC Contractor/ CJL Throughout the construction phase but 

throughout the construction phase is 

particularly when undertaking activities or 

necessary. All activities should be assessed 

handling materials which may lead to dust 

for the potential for dust creation prior to their 

undertaking. Observation of the weather 

conditions is particularly important. 

creation problems. 

Communications Compile and maintain register of 

CJL Suitable preventive and corrective action to be 

environmental and social communications 

taken if required. Actions to be recorded in 

including complaints. These can be made 

through the grievance mechanism which will 

be established. 

register. 

Accidents and Incidents Compile and maintain register of 

CJL and EPC Contractor and Suitable preventive and corrective action to be 

environmental accidents and incidents Contractor 

taken if required. Actions to be recorded in 

register. 

Waste Visual inspection of waste storage, collection CJL /EPC Contractor/Contractors 

and disposal areas monthly by EPC 

Contractor/Contractors. And random 

verification inspection by CJL. Records to be 

maintained of inspections by all. 

Monthly inspections. Suitable preventive and 

corrective action to be taken if required 

Waste Effluent EPC Contractor/Contractors ensure that the EPC Contractor/Contractors As soon as the design of the effluent treatment 

proposed effluent treatment plant (sewage) is 

plant is available and before it is commissioned 

of an appropriate specification to prevent 

for use during the construction phase of the rest 

significant impact to the receiving water way. 

When detailed design and specification of the 

effluent treatment plant are available the 

operator is required to submit full details of 

the water treatment plant (including its 

of the development. 


management requirements) the expected 

loads, the quality of emissions, the emission 

point, the quality of the receiving water and 

the potential impact on that water. 

Storage areas Visual inspection of all materials (including 

fuel) storage areas. Records to be maintained 

of inspections.CJL should do the random 

inspection. 

EPC Contractor/Contractors/CJL 


Monthly inspections. Suitable preventive and 

corrective action to be taken if required

139 



Ecology Terrestrial Belts of trees to provide local screening 

Environmental educational programme 

Access Road Wildlife Monitoring. Quarry site 

monitoring. Monitoring of Habitat. 

Restoration Programs 

CJL Monthly monitoring with annual reports 

Ecology – Marine (Port) Monitoring of vessels (waste disposal CJL/Port Authority Routine review of documentation and spot 

practices) Monitoring of shore-based solid 

checks. Every 6 months and occasional spot 

and liquid waste disposal facilities 

checks 

Socio-Economic: Camp planning Provision of camp specification and plans EPC 

Prior to development of camp 

against international “norms” EPC 

Contractor/Contractors/CJL/Cemco 

Contractor/Contractors should review the rp to review with advice from 

specification and identification of 

amendments Codes of conduct developed 

/agreed and provided for information to 

Liaison Forum 

Liaison forum 

Socio-Economic: Standard of Construction 

worker accommodation 

Worker questionnaire and inspection CJL Quarterly 


Socio-Economic: Standard of Construction 

worker catering 

Worker questionnaire and inspection CJL Quarterly 

Socio-Economic: Construction worker 

quality of life 

Worker questionnaire, Site visit. This and 

other questionnaires to be undertaken. Foreign 

language speaker trained and experienced in 

labor standards and issues. 

Construction worker accommodation 

Socio-Economic: Construction worker 

quality of life 

suggestion box 

Socio-Economic: Resident quality of life Liaison forum or committee to be formed. 

Members to include: community 

representatives, local authority and health 

representatives and CJL and EPC 

Contractor/Contractor camp representative(s). 

To monitor a list of potential issues /concerns 

(including road accidents, local transport 

availability, health aspects, potential conflict 

and others issues) on a regular basis, identify 

early preventative measures and emergency 

actions. 

Socio-Economic: Health monitoring Identify indicators and provide statistics of 

worker health. (EPC Contractor/Contractor ) 

Road Safety Measures Implementation of physical measures 

proposed in Road Safety Study to minimize 

road safety issues. Implement awareness 

CJL Quarterly 

CJL and EPC Contractor contractor On-going 

Cemcorp/CJL and EPC Contractor 

contractor and Local Authority of 

Rose Hall and surrounding 

communities 

EPC Contractor/Contractor Camp 

Doctor 

CJL 


Monthly 

Monthly 

Design and construction of roads, before 

operation.

140 



campaign of road safety issues. Resident 

comments to be included and considered in 

the final design/safety issues; 


Ensure driver contracts are contiguous with 

responsible driving. Implement road safety 

awareness/training to drivers prior to 

Socio-Economic: New Road Projected 

Affected People (PAP’s) 

compensation process 

operation. 

Verification that: Entitlement leaflet Process 

statement AVF valuation document. 

Entitlement table Produced, with adequate 

detail and distributed to all stakeholders 

Grievance processes – number of complaints / 

issues identified and their status. Monitoring 

of compensation transaction process to be 

undertaken by Commune. Report to be 

provided to CJL for annual reporting to 

investors and to local inhabitants 

Local community based 

organization (CBO) 

Operational Environmental and Social Monitoring Plan 


Emissions to air from main stack Constant monitoring of the key parameters 

and spot sampling of secondary 

parameters. Monitoring equipment and 

methods shall be in accordance with: 

National Jamaica requirements. The EU 

BAT Reference Document for Cement and 

Lime Manufacturing Industries. The 

guidelines set out in the IFC’s EHS 

Guidelines for Cement and Lime 

Manufacturing and IDB’s requirements. 

The daily averaged air emissions from the 

main stack shall not exceed the following 

primary limits (mg/Nm3): y Particulate 

Matter: 30 y SO2: 400 y NOx: 600 The 

operator shall also observe the limits for 

secondary parameters (HCl, hydrogen 

fluoride, dioxins-furans etc) as stated in the 

IFC’s EHS Guidelines. 

CJL 

CJL 


At times specified in the agreed compensation 

process/plan. 

Throughout the operation of the plant from 

commissioning to closure of the plant. 


commissioning to closure of the plant.

141 



Consideration of the necessity for 

installation of abatement equipment 

significant emissions from the cement 

plant. The operator is required to present a 

Emissions from other parts of the 

installation 

Fugitive emissions to air 

Operational Noise – Health & Safety 

Protection of ground and groundwater 

report which considers the emissions from 

the installation against the benchmarks, the 

potential reduction of local air quality as a 

result of the emissions and the impact on 

sensitive receptors. The assessment should 

also take into consideration the proposed 

future operations of the plant, particularly 

the main fuel to be used. 

Dust Emissions from clinker cooling, 

cement grinding etc shall not exceed 30 

mg/Nm3 

Constant vigilance and regular visual 

assessment of dust emissions. 

Noise Monitoring programme. Noise 

levels in operational areas of the plant 

should be measured, and the risk of 

damage to hearing arising from high noise 

levels. Staff working in areas of high noise 

levels should undergo training and be 

provided with ear protection devices and 

undergo regular hearing checks. 

Fuels, chemicals, liquid wastes and 

potentially hazardous materials will be 

kept in designated storage areas. Refueling 

will be effected with a mobile bowser with 

suitable secondary containment and spill 

protection equipment. 

CJL 

CJL 

CJL 

CJL 

CJL 


The report should be submitted to the IFC 

and IDB within three years of start up of 

the cement plant. 





High Noise Levels areas should be 

identified when expected noise levels are 

available, and verified once the plant is 

operational. Staff training and hearing 

checks should be ongoing. 

Secondary containment for all storage 

tanks and containers above 20-litres in 

total capacity (including loading areas) 

must be used. These must have impervious 

surfaces, free of voids; gaps, cracks and 

the material used must be compatible with 

the materials contained. The total bund 

capacity must be at least 110 % of the 

volume of the largest container or tank in 

the

142 



Landscape and Visual 

Plant maintenance and plant/vehicle 

washing will be carried out in dedicated 

areas with spill containment 

Monitor soil erosion and establish a 

planting scheme, including advance 

planting with the aim to reduce erosion due 

to deforestation. Monitor the establishment 

of on and off site planting with a 

permissible failure rate of with no 

CJL 


storage area; Proper maintenance of the 

secondary containment must be undertaken 

to keep debris, vegetation, leaked 

hazardous materials and storm water from 

accumulating; Roofs or covers should be 

constructed over transfer areas to minimize 

contact with surface water; All storage 

areas should be located in areas away from 

main construction activities and heavily 

trafficked routes; Areas must be kept dry 

and free of combustible materials; 

entrances, exits and aisles must be clear 

and unobstructed; Adequate lighting and 

ventilation must be provided; The areas 

must be secure from unauthorized access; 

All spills and leaks must be cleaned up 

promptly; Hazardous materials should be 

stored away from other storage areas. 

Suitable spill kits should be provided at all 

storage areas and at other suitable 

locations across the site. Workers should 

be trained in their use. All storage areas 

must be visually inspected at least monthly 

and the inspections recorded. 

Annually

143 


Items Measures 

more than 10% per year. Manage access 

via the proposed access roads to reduce 

illegal stone mining Phase the quarry 

works and localized restoration to 

minimize the extent of exposed quarry face 

and window between extraction to 

restoration. Monitor biodiversity 

enhancement through annual surveys 

Responsibility Schedule 

Nocturnal Monitor the impacts of lighting through CJL Annually 

Waste 

Waste waters 

night time surveys 

For all waste streams (solid and liquid) 

data should be kept of: Waste quantities. 

Physical form and containers 

used/packaging Disposal/treatment route. 

Final disposal point Recycled/reused 

quantities. All in house waste 

disposal/treatment facilities suitable 

monitoring/inspection in accordance with 

the relevant permit/license and legislation. 

Any breaches of legal requirements, 

including permits must be reported 

immediately. 

Regular inspection of drainage and all 

waste storage tanks (including domestic) 

will be included in the wastewater 

monitoring plan. 

CJL 

CJL 


Monitoring data and a statement on 

compliance with this EMP shall be 

reported in the Annual Monitoring Report 

to all relevant stakeholders. 

Frequency and methods will be determined 

before the beginning of the work of the 

plant. Monitoring data and a statement on 

compliance with this 


EMP shall be reported in the Annual 

Monitoring Report to relevant 

Energy 

Regular internal energy inspections on the 

plant; testing and tuning of burners, boilers 

etc and so on will be undertaken annually 

by competent experts. Ensure that energy 

management is as efficient as possible. 

Undertake detailed study of the plant 

efficiency once the plant is operational to 

assess whether waste heat recovery for 

power generation or any other purpose is 

viable. 

CJL 

stakeholders. 

Monitoring data and statement on 

compliance with this EMP shall be 

reported in the Annual Monitoring Report 

to relevant stakeholders. Recommended 

that this assessment be undertaken and 

submitted two years after the plant has 

become fully operational.

144 

Item/ Performance 

Criteria 

Determination of 

impacts on Project 

Affected People 

(PAP’s) 


Measures Responsibility Schedule 

Establish the grievance mechanism to facilitate the timely 

monitoring of impact on PAP’s to ensure the quality of life is not 

negatively impacted in the medium to the long term period. Early 

indicator system to be established via forum and village 

representative member. 

CJL to employ specialist 

Liaison officers 

Employment and Monitor local employment and skill levels against CJL Annual 

other compensatory established targets 

measures Employment of PAP’s, any reasons for non-employment to be 

given and alternative solution reported. Forum to arbitrate if 

contacted by PAP. 

Liaison Forum CJL to 

monitor and report to 

Liaison forum 

Communication Satisfaction and use questionnaire to all attending. Liaison Forum /CJL 

policies and Activities identified on communications to be completed 

stakeholder and summarised by forum and questionnaire results to 

engagement be reported in CJL and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) 

activities and appropriate CJL reports 

New Road Health of residents near road in relation to dust and associated 

diseases. No. cases diagnosed. 

Item/ Performance 

Criteria 

Director, Health Centre, 

Rose Hall reporting to 

Liaison committee 


Annual quality of life survey to be conducted on PAP’s 

using appropriated designed survey instruments. 

Quarterly in accordance with the requirement of the 

compensation plan, 

Annually for the first 3 years. And then once every 3 

years. 

6 months interval 

Measures Responsibility Schedule 

Monitor incident related to new roads and transportation to and 

from the plant site and quarries. Identify accident/potential 

accident hotspots Detail measures undertaken to make further 

improvements to road safety. 

CJL/ Commune to 

instigate. Reporting to 

Liaison Forum to consider 

action CJL H&S/EHS 

Coordinator 

Annually

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9.0 SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS 

The key impacts of the proposed development relate to four main aspects and these are: 

9.1 Employment of construction workers and operation of the construction camp, in 

particular terms and conditions of foreign worker employment and living conditions; 

9.2 The livelihoods of people from the local population whose activities may use some of the 

land to be used by the quarry and cement plant, some of these households are considered as 

vulnerable households; 

9.3 Employment opportunities with Jamaica Cement Limited and local suppliers to the 

company and subsequent benefit to the municipal budget, and 

9.4 Road and transport. 

9.5 Local Labor and Risk Assessment: 

The employment of foreign construction camp workers will meet the requirements of the 

national law for wages, tax and insurance. Foreign workers will have prepaid return 

transportation guarantee to China by the EPC Contractor. 

1. Please find the attached sample of employment agreement from the EPC 

Contractor in APPENDIX 7.1. 

2. Also, please see the attached construction site and work camp design 

information provided by the EPC Contractor as found in APPENDIX 7.2. 

3. Finally please see the Health and Safety Plan of the EPC Contractor as 

found in APPENDIX 7.3. Details are already available on the living 

conditions and the design of the camp and review of this information and 

the monitoring of worker quality of life is available to IDB and NEPA. 

Worker health, other than minor first aid, will be undertaken via the May Pen Public 

Hospital and local services. Major emergencies will be dealt with in May Pen which is 

the capital of the local town Clarendon. The local public health officer will provide 

targeted awareness training for communities who may be more susceptible to different 

transmittable diseases. A local liaison forum will be established to develop good two-way 

communications, allowing the information and feedback between the camp and local 

stakeholders. 

A number of households depend for their livelihood on activities that use part of the lands 

which are to be included in the cement plant site (predominantly farmers). Vegetable 

farming and grazing activities are likely to be the most affected within the boundary of 

the proposed development. The ESA identifies the potential scale of these impacts and 

recommends that a more detailed assessment of the land use by affected farmers. A full 

list of farmers in 2010 should be identified to arrive at a form of compensation, taking 

into account vulnerable and low income households. The EIA identifies vulnerable 

households whose activities and quality of life are expected to be impacted. In the light 

of the EIA results and further assessment, CJL is developing a compensation plan. The 

Prepared by EnviroPlanners Ltd. – 20 December 2010

146 


plan and criteria for eligibility will be informed by the EIA base line information. In 

developing this plan all Project Affected People (PAPs) will be invited to register during 

a 3 month planning period and an assessment of each case will be undertaken. Project 

affected people have identified a strong preference for livelihoods compensation to be 

provided in the form of employment by the new cement plant. CJL’s business plan takes 

into consideration the employment of Jamaicans. These figures are found in Section 2 of 

this report. This will be taken into account in case assessments. A compensation 

framework document accompanies the EIA and sets out the principles which will guide 

the final plan. 

A risk assessment of the traffic routes has been undertaken and has identified 

inconvenience and health and safety issues to stakeholders. The study was undertaken by 

EnviroPlanners Limited. It encompassed the proposed roads between the Clarendon/St. 

Catherine Plant Site and Highway 2000 and between the Quarry and the Cement Plant 

Site. The assessment was conducted according to the Methodology for Jamaican National 

Work Agency. Mitigation measures can be summarized as follows: 

� Installation of mirrors will be used for ‘blind spots’. 

� The preliminary design did not indicate appropriate facilities for pedestrian walkways 

or crossings. These will be implemented into the design at the locations where 

potential problems may arise. Areas where such problems may arise have been 

identified as intersections, major access / egress locations the public schools, 

recreational facilities, and the bridge situated along the route of the road to the 

Limestone Quarry. 

� Lighting not included in the preliminary design that could lead to accidents, 

particularly at intersections. Lighting is proposed particularly at intersections. 

� Risk of accident shall be reduced by implementation of education (road safety 

awareness) programs and liaison with the local communities as well as driver training 

programs and implementation of near-miss/accident reporting procedures. CJL to 

consider need for any additional safety bylaws or regulations for local business 

activities near roads as a result of increased traffic (in the number of drivers directly 

related to CJL activities). 

Impacts during the Construction Phase: The main contractor for the development is an EPC 

Contractor who has significant experience in similar construction developments. It is expected 

that a maximum of 1,200 workers will be on site at any one time and it is planned that they will 

live in a specially constructed camp. Importantly, as shown in Figure 9.1, the design of the 

sewage treatment system will be fully capable of handling the peak demand of 1,200 

construction workers. The camp will be located inside the fenced area of the entire plant site and 

it will have all the necessary facilities to make the camp self-contained, including recreational 


147 


facilities as shown in Figure 9.2. As shown, the construction camp will consist of several prefabricated 

buildings and necessary infrastructure. 

The location of the camp within the overall plant site is shown in Figure 6.3. 

As shown, the total camp area is a minimum of 23,500 m 2 and a maximum of 

26,800 m 2 . The lay-down area is 600 m 2 and the fabrication yard is 5000 m 2 for a 

total of 5,600 m 2 . In total, 65,000 m 2 of land area will be considered as the 

“Works Area” during the construction phase. Please see Table 9.0 for a complete 

description of the construction camp. 

The construction activities will include: 

9.1.1 Site clearing, civil works, grading and landscaping; 

9.1.2 Utilities and wired/wireless service connections; 

9.1.3 Foundation excavations and installation of concrete footings; 

9.1.4 Erection of buildings, steel frames, and cladding; 

9.1.5 Installation of equipment; 

9.1.6 Auxiliary and ancillary facilities erection; 

9.1.7 Installation of equipment’ 

9.1.8 Building fitting-out; and 

9.1.9 Commissioning (expected in 2013). 


148 


10.0 EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE 

The implementation of a project of this nature will, from time to time, encounter emergency 

situations which could result from man-made or natural occurrences. The project sponsors are 

cognizant of this and have put systems in place to plan and manage such emergency-related 

processes. 

The EPC Contractor has established policies and procedures for such emergencies as a part of 

this EIA study. The complete Emergency Preparedness and Response Program (in draft form) 

for Cement Jamaica Limited can be found in APPENDIX 10. The Emergency Response Plan 

includes the following attributes: 

10.1 Emergency Program: 

The emergency program is founded on five (5) main principles: 

10.1.1 To minimize the loss of human lives in case of emergency; 

10.1.2 To reduce damage to the environment, equipment, and infrastructure; 

10.1.3 To provide an organization chart and emergency management program; 

10.1.4 To control and reduce emergencies, all emergency response members must 

pass specialize training; 

10.1.5 To resume normal working activities in minimum time. 

Potential impacts that are address by the Program include the following: 

10.1.6 Fire; 

10.1.7 Earthquake; 

10.1.8 Floods; 

10.1.9 Explosions; 

10.1.10 Hazardous Material Leaks; 

11.1.1 Civil Unrest; 

11.1.2 Attacks and Other Accidents. 

The Emergency Management Plan found in APPENDIX 10 details the hierarchy of 

responsibility, training requirements, and activities at the various stages such as before 

(prevention), during, and after the incident. Reporting, evaluation, cause analysis, and 

corrective actions are to be done for all emergencies that occur. Protocols are also 

established for the specific emergency to include both internal and external 

communications. 


149 


11.0 Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Management and Monitoring Plan 

The implementation of a project of this nature will continuously give rise to personal health & 

safety issues which could result from man-made or natural occurrences. The project sponsors 

are cognizant of this and have put systems in place to plan and manage EHS-related processes. 

For example, the EPC Contractor has established policies and procedures for Environment, 

Health, and Safety which were reviewed as a part of this EIA study. The complete EHS 

document (in draft form) for Cement Jamaica Limited can be found in APPENDIX 11. 

The Environmental Health & Safety Program is an established system which is documented in an 

EHS manual. The information (policies and procedures) are general at this stage of the 

development, but the formal document will be tailored to address specific conditions and 

requirements associated with the construction and operation of this project. Best practices are 

the basis for the development of the document, but learning is applied over time, and the result is 

intended to be a “living document”. 

The EHS management system includes a commitment to comply with all applicable laws. Other 

features of the EHS program are as follows: 

11.1 A system for the identification and categorization of EHS aspects. Some of the aspects 

identified are: 

11.1.1 Hazardous material handling; 

11.1.2 Working in confined space; 

11.1.3 Working at heights; 

11.1.4 Crane and other equipment operation; 

11.1.5 Welding and cutting. 

11.2 For all the identified critical aspects, there is a requirement as is necessary for, method 

statement, personal protective equipment, and permit to work. 

11.2.1 Establishing objectives and targets for the aspects that have been determined to 

critical. 

11.2.2 Training program for relevant workers in EHS management system; 

11.2.3 Evacuation plan and procedures; 

11.2.4 Emergency response drills; 

11.2.5 Fossils and Heritage facility preservation; 

11.2.6 Security and housekeeping requirements. 

The requirements states in the Environmental, Health, Safety and Emergency program are 

comprehensive and should be adequate to ensure prevention/minimization and management of 

related issues. The project monitoring program should incorporate these requirements to ensure 

effective implementation and maintenance. 


150 


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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT - NEPA

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